The Big Superbowl Debate

 I also do not like how he annoints himself the best cornerback in the league. If you are the best, other people will say so. I never heard Darrelle Revis say he was the best. I do not hear a peep out of Patrick Peterson on the Arizona Cardinals either.

 

Matt: Yeah, let’s put that to rest right now. He is not the best corner in the league.  He’s a very good corner on an even better defense (making his job even easier).  I got to believe Peyton is going to try and exploit that confidence. Which brings us to our next topic.

 

2. Peyton Manning vs Seattle Secondary

Pat: The Seahawks definitely have the best secondary in the league. Richard Sherman is an elite cornerback. Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas are the best safeties in the league. Thomas is one of the best defenders in the league. If any team is equipped to go against the Denver Broncos, it is the Sehawks. However, Peyton Manning has so many weapons to go to. He has Julius Thomas, an elite tight end to go with three great wide receivers. Julius Thomas and Demaryius Thomas are both big physical receivers that can match the physicality of the Seahawks secondary. In addition, I think Peyton knows to just go to the open guy. He will challenge Sherman once in awhile. However, they can get around Sherman. He can put the other three wide receivers on the field opposite of Sherman. It reminds me of when the Colts played the Jets in the 2009 AFC Champioship Game. The Jets tried to move Revis around to whichever receiver started to make catches. However, Peyton just kept on going to whichever receiver was open in that game. He can do something similar this game. The Seahawks safeties will definitely make an impact so I do not too many big plays. However, I thnk Peyton is smart and will take what is given to him. If the Seahawks keep all the receivers in front of them and Peyton is forced to dink and dunk. I think he will do so.  Peyton has even more and better weapons than he did in Indy in 2009.

 

 

Matt: I give the Seahawks secondary credit.  They’re certainly the hardest secondary to play against, which is in large part to their talent, but a portion of it does have to do with their willingness to risk early penalties in order to establish a strong position.  This stifles most offenses, but the issue with this matchup is that the receivers on the Broncos are a perfect counter to this kind of aggressive defense.  The two Thomas’ are big and strong and will out muscle a lot of defenders, while Welker and Decker are perfect slant receivers, which are the routes aggressive defenses are most susceptible to.  Also all of this is moot when when Peyton Manning has two weeks to prepare for you.  Lets not forget that the Superbowl he did lose was to a team motivated by disaster that needed a surprise halftime onside kick.

 

Pat: The one thing I really respect about the Seahawks and I think gives them a huge advantage is that they do not rely on scheme. They just play you man to man and straight up. It is tough to confuse Peyton but they will not even try. You think that hurts them or helps them against Peyton?

Matt: I do think it’s a lost cause to try and confuse Peyton, but I think you have to be able to mix up your schemes.  If the Seahawks do go man to man all game I expect Moreno to get a lot of yards after the catch all game.  Peyton seems to be able to change the pace of the game at will.  Against balanced offenses and experienced QBs he’ll slow it down and control the clock. But I predict against a relatively you QB he’ll look to score fast to leave Russell Wilson with the pressure to keep pace.

Pat: Peyton’s line will be a key too. They are a great line. They only allowed him to be sacked only 18 times in the regular season. He has not been touched in the postseason. The Seahawks front 7 are going to be a significant factor in how well their secondary plays. If they do not get pressure, Peyton will sit back and tear them apart with those weapons. It does not matter how good your secondary is.

3. Russell Wilson – How will he do against the Broncos defense? How good will he be in his career?

 

Pat: I am a big fan of Russell Wilson. He is definitely a great leader and a good player. We will need to see him play a few more years with better weapons before we can say for sure how good he can be. He did not play well at the end of the regular season. He did not have to do much in the postseason but he did not have to. In the end, he did make the play he need to make on the fourth down deep touchdown pass that gave his team the lead in the fourth quarter. I think he will have a good game but not a great game. He can make gamechanging plays with his elusive and ability to scramble so his receivers can get open.

 

6. Thoughts on Pete Carroll. He won National titles with USC and now has a chance to join Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer as the only coaches to win a National Championship and Super Bowl. How impressive would that be? 

 

Pat:  Peter Carroll’s career has been very interesting. He got fired by the Jets after one season. He got another chance as a head coach of the Patriots in 1997 to replace Bill Parcells. He had mixed results there but was ultimately a disappointment because of the success the Patriots had before him with Parcells and the success they had without him when Bill Belichick took over the reigns. When he went to USC, he was far from the first choice. He had no expectations. Nevertheless, he turned USC around and made them a powerhouse. Whether it was true or not, I assumed he left USC because he knew that it would get heavy sanctions for violations that occurred under his watch. As a result, I had the perception that he ran away from the mess he created. At the beginning of his time with the Seahawks, I wanted him to fail because of it. In addition, he had a shaky NFL career as a head coach in his first two stints so I assumed he would fail. In the end, I need to give him all the respect for his accomplishments. He revitalized USC and has done it again with the Seahawks in the NFL. 4 years ago, the Seahawks were a bad team in the division that was the joke of the league. Now, they are in the best division in the league and one of the best teams in the league. They have a great young team that is set up to win for the next few years. It is difficult to be as successful as Carroll has in college and the NFL. If he wins this Super Bowl, he joins Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer as the only men to win a National Championship in college and a Super Bowl. He is also very charismatic and intelligent. His players like playing for him. My negative perception of him after he left USC is completely gone.

 

Matt:  I think Carrol is a good coach.  Honestly. I’m not a huge fan of some of his defensive tactics. He seems to prefer taking the penalties to establish an early advantage as opposed to out smarting his opponents offense, which is more in the vein of both Rex and Rob Ryan.  But none the less he gets wins.  I also commend him for making the risky, but now obviously smart, move to start Russel Wilson in his rookie season.  All these things point to him being good at his job.  But that doesn’t mean I have to like the guy.  To me he’s everything wrong with the NCAA, and any success he has after making millions on kids who receive no pay and then ditching them to pay the price for his mistakes, only adds to unfairness built into the college system.  So for my books I hope he never wins a Superbowl.  Sorry Seattle.  I like your players, I like your city, but I can’t root for the success of a guy that left children to hang for his transgressions, only to move on for even more money.  And if you think that’s just way it works and isn’t just a character issue, look no further than the number of PED issues his team has incurred and the number of fines they’ve received for defensive penalties.  What he lacks in savviness in comparison to the greats, like Belicheck and Parcells, he makes up for by bullying.

 

Pat: I disagree on some of your points and agree on others. If your gripe is that he incurred penalties then did not take responsibility, it is the same issue I had with him when he left for Seattle. I disagree on the point about him leaving for the NFL and more money. We see college basketball players do it all the time for money and to fulfill their dream. I would do it too because it is just not smart to turn down sure millions. A coach should be able to do the same. On the other hand, I think the NCAA should implement rules where a player can transfer to another school without sitting a year if their coach leaves.

 

Matt: Well the difference for me is that those basketball players doing that are going from zero money to getting paid.  Carroll is leaving millions to make millions. And it also coincided with his university getting the sanctions.  So leaving for your dreams?  I don’t buy that as a motive. He could’ve done it 2 years earlier.  That’s just a good side effect to him only caring about his well being and not the well being of the players that risked injury and never getting paid while he collected his money.

 

7. Who will have the biggest impact on the game:

 

Pat: The obvious answer for the Broncos is Peyton Manning so I am going to answer this question for the most important Bronco other than Manning. I am going to go with defensive lineman Terrance Knighton. He wreaked havoc against the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game getting into the backfield to stop the run and pressure the quarterback. The Seahawks had trouble with their line against the 49ers. Knighton needs to have another big impact on defense in the Bronco effort to stop Marhsawn Lynch. For the Seahawks, I am going to say Marshawn Lynch. He may be a man of few words but he is physical and will hit you. He gets stronger as the game moves on. The Seahawks feed off his energy when he runs well. He will also be a key in keeping Manning off the field if he can run the ball effectively so the Seahawks can play a ball control game.

 

Matt: I’m going with the obvious answer.  For both teams the most impactful player will be Manning.  He decides how much time you get the ball, how high scoring you need to be, and all around decides if that play you called in the first quarter will be your demise in the fourth.

 

8. Does Peyton Manning need to win this game? What will his legacy be if he loses? Where do you rank him on all time great quarterbacks right now? Where does he move up if he wins?

Matt: I don’t think Peyton needs to win.  But then again I don’t think Marino needed to win.  I think in recent history sports fans and analysts have trended way to far with considering championships for how good someone is.  There’s so many factors that have to go right just for things to fall into place.  Also lets not forget Trent Dilfer won a championship.  Should we consider him better than Marino?  No F-ing way.  Manning, purely as a QB ranks in the top 5 for me.  I do think there have been better pure Quarterbacks in the league.  Better throwers, better arms, but Peyton Manning is the greatest football person ever.  His effect on and off the field is larger than any individual player or coach has ever had in the NFL.  If he does win it will just add to his legacy as a QB. But you can’t add anymore to his legacy as a football mind.  I tend to look to Ray Lewis to explain how good Peyton is.  NFL network ranked the top 50 players of all time and Ray Lewis introduced Peyton and put it really simply.  The Colts were, and had been a very bad team. No one has a direct effect on the number of wins a team gets, more than Manning. But to make a final point, no one will beat Manning as a football genius, but when it’s all said and done Aaron Rodgers will go down as the best QB ever.  Period.

Pat: I agree your points. However, he needs to win it so he can shut up all his critics. He definitely ranks among the best of the best with Joe Montana, Johnny Unitas, and Tom Brady. If Championships are the tie breaker that differentiates one from the other, it is fine. However, you have to be in the conversation for championships to matter and most quarterbacks in NFL history are not in the conversation. Peyton is clearly the greatest regular season quarterback of all time. If he wins this one, I think he jumps Brady. Brady is now 3-2 in the Super Bowl and only 8-8 since starting 10-0. When you also consider Spygate and Brady playing under a better coach and better defenses earlier in his career than Peyton, I think you can take Peyton over Brady. In the end, it is a team game so you win championships as a team. It is a modern thing that only the small sample size of the postseason counts and the many more regular season games do not matter. It is just silly. It affects basketball and baseball. The only sport where it may make sense is basketball where one player can make that big of a difference.

 

9. Who is your X Factor in the game for each team?

 

Pat: For the Broncos, I will pick Trindon Holliday. He is an explosive kick returner. In a close game, a big return or return touchdown can be huge in this game. For the Seahawks, I will go with Percy Harvin. He has not played much this season due to injury. He missed the NFC Conference Championship Game due to a concussion. While he can bust out for a big game, I do not expect him to with all the time he missed. The reports have been he looked explosive in practice. He is true gamebreaker. Even if he does not have a huge day, he is still capable of one or two special plays that can mean the difference in the game.

 

Matt: For the Broncos, I’m going with Knowshon Moreno.  With the really good secondary of the Seahawks most likely playing man to man high pressure coverage, I expect that Moreno will have some openings and will need to take advantage.  I look to him to have about 125 yards rushing and about 75 receiving yards.  For the Seahawks the x factor has to be Golden Tate. I know Percy is supposed to change the game.  But I think really its just about Golden Tate being a good receiver as he has been and possibly changing the field position advantage with some good returns.

 

10. Predictions. Who wins the game and why?

 

Pat: It is a great matchup and I do not have a strong feel on who will win. However, I know that I am going to root for Peyton Manning. As such, I am going to go with the Broncos. The weather reports are improving for Sunday so Manning so the passing game should be good to go. The Seahawks secondary will play to prevent the big play but I think Manning picks them apart slowly with a short passing game and takes what the Seahawks give them. I think the Broncos stuff the run early. On the other hand, I think it would be a problem if the Seahawks take a lead in the second half. The Seahawks will just continue to pound Lynch and wear down the Broncos defense. However, I think the Broncos defense steps up one more time to give Manning enough time to build a lead. The Seahawks receiving core also does not have the playmakers to exploit the Broncos secondary. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is an excellent corner and can go on any receiver that starts to get hot. I think we may also have a Champ Bailey sighting.

 

Matt: It’s an awesome Superbowl matchup.  Best offense against best defense. Usually (3 out of 4 times to be exact) the defense wins this kind of matchup.  But there’s one thing this game has different than those.  This is the best offense EVER.  The Broncos have to win this game.  More importantly Peyton has to.  If you know me, you know I’m all about the narratives in the NFL. The Chargers will always be .500 and will always be dangerous. The Raiders will draft the fastest guy in the draft.  The Chiefs when good will disappoint, and when bad will still disappoint.  And this year the narrative is Peyton Manning is insanely good at football.  From week one with that 7 TD game all the way up to the last week when he dismantled the Pats.  So I can’t deny the trend.  Broncos win.