2014 SUPER BOWL THREAD and Poll

Post by **Roy Hersh** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 12:44 pm

You can play in the poll to pick your favorite, enter your thoughts here on who is going to win or not. If you were betting would the point spread affect who you'd select? Do you like or dislike either team? Lots more ... so have at it. Less than two weeks to go for the big game!

And for those living under a rock, or another country where the NFL matters not ... the two teams that have reached the bigger dance are:

The Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks.

John M. · Post by **John M.** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 2:02 pm

Rooting for the Broncos. Wife's family has an affinity for them borne out of my late Mother-in-Law's wild enthusiasm (she lived in Denver and was a season ticket holder). She was a great MIL--as an in-law could not do any better so I have to stick with her and children. Also, I respect Peyton-- a marvelous player...would be cool to see him be the first QB to start and win a ring with two different teams.

Seattle is a nice team and nothing against them (sorry Roy, Glenn and the other WA folks here). I would have rooted for them if they were playing the Pats.

Ideally, would like a great game no matter the outcome. Blow-outs are no good at all....and lets hope for some great commercials.

Post by **Glenn E.** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 4:33 pm

I'm rooting hard for the Seahawks, but my brain is telling me that Peyton's going to cement his legacy.

The two "games within a game" are the respective possessions:

Seahawks on offense, Broncos on defense
Seattle's offense has been pretty anemic lately and relies too much on Marshawn Lynch. Percy Harvin coming back will help, but it remains to be seen how much of a factor he can really be. He's been injury prone his entire career, so he might get knocked out early again even if he does play. Wilson is a good QB, but Seattle is going to need to install some QB runs in order to really open things up. Denver's defense isn't great, but it has improved lately and is at least an average NFL defense. I think Seattle will score plenty of points. Wouldn't surprise me at all if they can get to the 31-35 range. I just don't think it will be enough.

Broncos on offense, Seahawks on defense
Denver's offense is nearly unstoppable. They have the league's best QB and an arsenal of quality receivers for him to throw to. Their running game is just adequate, so I expect the Seahawks to be able to mostly shut that down, but that just forces Peyton Manning to do what he does best. Seattle's defense is the best in the league, but they haven't faced an offense like Denver's. Even the Saints don't run 4-wide like Denver does. This is the game where Brandon Browner might have tipped the scales in Seattle's favor, but he's suspended for a substance abuse violation and his career in Seattle is likely over. Seattle can probably manage Thomas and Welker, and might even put the clamps on the RB/TE dinks & dunks, but who is going to stop Decker while the rest of that is going on? Denver could easily drop 49 on the Seahawks, but I expect it to be a little less than that.

In the end, I think the Broncos simply out-score the Seahawks. I think the Seahawks make it a good game and they might even lead for part of it, but ultimately I think Peyton Manning gets his 2nd SB victory, cements his legacy as the greatest QB of his generation, and then retires after (possibly after failing his required physical).

41-31 Broncos

I can't bear voting for them in the poll, though.

Ray Barnes · Post by **Ray Barnes** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 5:37 pm

Almost needless to say, since I like Seattle and the Broncos took out the Patriots, I am rooting for the Hawks. As to who I think will win, it will depend a lot on the weather conditions. If the game were being played today in what I hear is bad weather in the Northeast, i think the Broncos' speed and precision would be neutralized to a large degree, and the Hawks would prevail on the strength of its defense, running and special teams. I fear though with this big storm hitting now, Mother Nature will be more benevolent in 12 days.

Moses Botbol · Post by **Moses Botbol** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 8:16 pm

Glenn E. wrote:I'm rooting hard for the Seahawks, but my brain is telling me that Peyton's going to cement his legacy.

Yup,

Post by **Glenn E.** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 10:49 pm

That's a great point, Ray. I hadn't considered possible weather effects. Peyton isn't known for his cold weather prowess, so it wouldn't even have to be nasty out to help the Seahawks. Even just a 10 degree day might do it.

Ray Barnes · Post by **Ray Barnes** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 11:12 pm

Or....a lot of rain, classic Seattle weather.

Christian Gollnick · Post by **Christian Gollnick** » Wed Jan 22, 2014 6:20 am

I was somehow feeling very neutral about this final - but seeing the short interview with Marshall after the Seahawks game helped me to make up my mind: Go, Broncos!!!!!!!

Ray Barnes · Post by **Ray Barnes** » Wed Jan 22, 2014 1:05 pm

It's starting to look like the game will come down to the Broncos receivers vs. the Hawks secondary. From where I sit, this discussion seems to favor Denver, albeit not by much.
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-am/0ap200 ... -secondary

Post by **Roy Hersh** » Wed Jan 22, 2014 2:05 pm

This has the makings of a great O vs D Super Bowl. There have been several of those in the past. What can be gleaned from those results?

Ray Barnes · Post by **Ray Barnes** » Wed Jan 22, 2014 2:21 pm

I seem to recall that Tampa Bay, Baltimore and (in 1985) Chicago all won with great defenses. Somehow I think the real battle is Manning vs. Hawks D and Mother Nature. The Broncos caught a break with the weather last Sunday, which I do not begrudge them.

Post by **Glenn E.** » Wed Jan 22, 2014 3:04 pm

Roy Hersh wrote:This has the makings of a great O vs D Super Bowl. There have been several of those in the past. What can be gleaned from those results?

There's a reason for the cliché that defense wins championships.

The Seahawks will be attempting to make it 4 out of 5 for the #1 Defense when facing the #1 Offense. And the one time that the #1 Offense won? That would be Joe Montana's 1989 San Francisco 49ers, who also boasted the #3 Defense.

http://nfl.si.com/2014/01/22/super-bowl ... oncos-o-d/

Eric Ifune · Post by **Eric Ifune** » Wed Jan 22, 2014 4:24 pm

Manning is my favorite player so I'm rooting for Denver.
Unfortunately, I think the Hawks will win.

Ray Barnes · Post by **Ray Barnes** » Sat Jan 25, 2014 9:31 am

As of January 24, the weather forecast for the Super Bowl is 30F with a chance of snow showers. I'd say, throw some wind/chill into the mix, and that is good news for the Hawks.

John F. Newman · Post by **John F. Newman** » Tue Jan 28, 2014 8:34 am

For those not from the NY metropolitan area. IT IS FREEZING OVER HERE! I work 2 blocks from the Prudential Center in Newark. It is bone-chilling cold. We get weather like this once every generation.

On Sunday, it is going to be wet. I do not think that this is Seattle's type of wet, I expect it will be the worst type of wetness - layered with bitter cold temps. It's the type of weather where both teams can expect half of them will be sick in the days that follow the game. I think that Denver may be more better prepared for playing in this type of weather.

Remember that when you see the "high" temp for Sunday, the game is being played after the sun goes down. The stadium is open (no dome) and you still get breezes... Put it this way, people from New Jersey don't want to go to the game in person - even if offered free tickets!

here is what a local NJ weatherman is saying as of last night as to SuperBowl weather:
"We are going to see changes to the forecast over the next 6 days. So this isn't set in stone just yet. This is my best guess right now. Possible wintry weather winding down in the morning. Skies slowly clearing as the winds freshen up behind the front. Kick-off temp in the mid 30's dropping into the 20's when they are hoisting the Lombardi trophy." - Dave Curren, NJ news 12.

Moses Botbol · Post by **Moses Botbol** » Tue Jan 28, 2014 8:42 am

Whomever wins this SB, deserves it. Temps are going to be crazy.

John F. Newman · Post by **John F. Newman** » Tue Jan 28, 2014 8:47 am

p.s. I saw a news story last night about NFL knock-off merchandise. One way to tell is "Super Bowl" is TWO words.

Lol. This is an edited post; I had it wrong the first time around.

Post by **Glenn E.** » Tue Jan 28, 2014 9:01 am

Actually, that's not far off of Seattle weather at this time of year. Our daytime highs are in the low 40s with overnight lows just below freezing. It isn't uncommon to have a few days where the daytime high is in the mid or upper 30s and the overnight low is in the mid to upper 20s.

The worse the weather, the better for Seattle. Peyton Manning is not known for his cold weather performance... in fact that's really the one solid knock against him. He just doesn't play well (even just relative to his peers) in bad weather. Furthermore, Denver relies on its passing game while Seattle relies on its running game. While NFL schemes aren't affected by weather as much anymore, bad weather does impact the passing game more than the running game.

I'm liking this weather forecast!

Moses Botbol · Post by **Moses Botbol** » Tue Jan 28, 2014 9:52 am

Will the most valuable player in the NFL decide the game? I don't mean Peyton Manning either; Adam Vinatieri.

Post by **Glenn E.** » Tue Jan 28, 2014 10:07 am

SKITTLES BEAST MODE!

Well... Skittles Seattle Mix anyway. They totally missed out on the correct name.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/2013/st ... l-skittles

For The Love Of Port