There are the few and proud Denver and Seattle fans who are
waiting in hot anticipation for their shot at the ultimate victory on
Sunday. (For the record, I pretty much always cheer for the bridesmaid on these kind of things, so Seahawks it is). But for that other 94%-ish of fans who've watched
their own teams go down on the spectrum from predictable to agonizing
fashion this year, you're probably still on the fence
about who to adopt until September finally rolls around again. Fear
not, dear reader! Here's the fair and balanced Lady Blitz guide for you
to weigh your options with Reasons to Love and Hate the Broncos and Seahawks:
Reasons to Love the Broncos
- A Perfect End to Peyton's Perfect Season - From a purely objective statistical standpoint, no quarterback has ever had a more productive season than Peyton Manning, who has aged like a fine wine at 37 despite coming back from major neck surgery just two years ago. Whether or not you typically root for the guy, you have to admit there would be some kind of karmic injustice if his Broncos fail to take home the Lombardi after such a historic season. Ripped from the plot of Rocky, it seems all too appropriate that he will have to jump through a flaming hoop lined with dragon teeth known as the Legion of Boom to claim the elusive title. And though Manning has already had a first-ballot Hall of Fame career, this would unquestioningly be the biggest win of them all. I wouldn't be surprised to see him ride off into the sunset the way of Michael Strahan or Jerome Bettis if he pulls it off. Ditto to Denver legend Champ Bailey in his 15th NFL season.
- An Underrated Defense on the Rise - For all of the deserved fanfare Manning's offense and Seattle's defense have gotten leading up to Super Bowl Sunday, the Broncos' defense has flown under the radar despite some inspired play as of late. You might have thought they were a huge liability with memorable lapses against the Cowboys, Colts, Patriots and Chargers in the regular season, but they've only allowed an average of 15 points over their past four games despite losing Von Miller to injury among others for the year. In the playoffs, they held the high-flying Chargers scoreless for three quarters and kept Tom Brady and New England's formidable rushing attack in check so that the hotly anticipated "shootout" was never in question. Who needs Von Miller anyway when you've got a guy named Pot Roast? If you're cheering for Denver this weekend, keep an eye on enormous rising defensive tackle Terrance Knighton - he'll be a key matchup for Marshawn Lynch and Seattle's reshuffled offensive line.
- Gratitude for Your Fantasy Football Team - Fact: There was a guy in my fantasy league who had Peyton Manning, Eric Decker, AND Matt Prater (and LeSean McCoy). It just wasn't fair - he totally destroyed us all pretty much every week. Chances are if you had any one of those guys or Demaryius Thomas... or Wes Welker... or Julius Thomas... or Knowshon Moreno, you had a pretty good year. There's been nary a weak spot in Denver's entire offensive cast of characters all year, and they've become household names thanks to superlative strategy and execution by one Peyton Manning. For everything they've done for you to have Tecmo numbers in your league this year, you owe them some positive vibes for the biggest game of their lives.
Reasons to Hate the Broncos
- An Agonizing Possibility of Collapse - Despite all that Peyton Manning and his well-rounded cast of characters in Denver have done right this season, I bet more than a few Broncos fans are still feeling a bit nervous about Sunday. You already know the stats on Manning's mediocrity in the postseason and in cold weather, which is sure to be a factor at MetLife Stadium. For all of the success Denver has had this season, you could certainly argue that there's a lot more pressure on them to have another flawless game this weekend knowing that No. 18's professional career is in its winter. For the second consecutive year, the Broncos have had one of the easiest schedules in the NFL and simply have not faced a defensive opponent on par with Seattle's. They are not used to playing from behind or having many meaningful fourth quarters, so all eyes will be on how Denver responds if this game turns out to be close and physical. Throw in any kind of wintry mix of precipitation, and the Broncos will have to shelve the offensive attack that has worked so well in the pristine Mile High playoffs weather for a ground-and-pound style that favors Seattle.
- Peyton Manning, Ad Harlot and Whiner - Apologies for the awkward phrasing - I'm trying to be family friendly here. It's no secret on this blog that Peyton Manning is just not my cup of tea. I get that he's an extraordinary athlete and appreciate that his strength lies so much more with his football IQ than with physical talent alone, but that doesn't mean I need to see him hawk everything from Oreos to mid-sized sedans for the highly sought-after senior citizen commercial demographic. For every one fairly amusing tongue in cheek skit, there are about five absolutely insufferable "aw shucks" spots with Papa John's that would make Andy Griffith feel embarrassed. Although, who wouldn't want to see this guy's down-home drawl totally ruin a Beats headphone commercial? Sure, Manning acts like he has a sense of humor about himself when the endorsements are flowing, but that will all change Sunday the moment the Seahawks break up a pass cleanly. Expect major Manning-face at the first sign of frustration and lots of extracurricular chats with the refs if Seattle's pass rush gets to him.
- Worse Bandwagon Fans - Don't worry, Denver. I'll be getting to Seattle's Twelfth Man in a minute, but the Broncos are likely to reel in worse bandwagon fans this time. This is coming from someone who lives in the part of Tennessee that should not care about the Vols, but they always come out of the woodwork when it's convenient. The same "fans" who would be saying I told ya so if Manning's Broncos had been anything less than perfect in January will be at your Super Bowl party this weekend sporting whatever orange they own acting as though they knew all along that this would happen. And a new subset of them are hopping on the Broncos bandwagon merely because of Richard Sherman. Caveat: Everyone is entitled to an opinion, and it is understandable to be turned off by Sherman's less-than-sportsmanlike comments. However, there are also these people trying to high five you right now, so enjoy that.
Reasons to Love the Seahawks
- A Rag-Tag Bunch of Underdogs - In the interest of helping us all move on from the cultural hysteria of Richard Sherman, I'm going to assume that you already know about his purely awesome backstory. But Sherman is only one of many unlikely stars that Pete Carroll and Seattle's front office have discovered and developed into an elite, cohesive squad. There's also Russell Wilson who had a spectacular, record-breaking college career but wasn't drafted in the NFL until the third round because of his [lack of] size and then had to beat out two veterans in training camp to start for the Seahawks his rookie year. Then of course there is fullback Derrick Coleman, the NFL's only deaf player, who was also overlooked by most franchises despite having a solid college career and who is most importantly a good human being. The Seahawks have embraced a chip-on-their-shoulder identity by defying expectations at every turn, and they certainly deserve to be here just as much as the Broncos do.
- The Beast - Later on this week, I'll posit that the Seahawks will likely need to execute more passing plays against the Broncos than they're accustomed to, but Marshawn Lynch is still the heart and soul of this offense. In addition to giving Skittles millions of dollars' worth of brand exposure for free on Sunday, Lynch is in prime position to have some memorable up-the-gut-for-20+-yards snaps that could be MVP-worthy. Even though Denver will almost certainly dedicate multiple personnel to containing Beast Mode throughout the game, it's not a matter of if but when Marshawn Lynch will tear through the secondary for a big gain. He's done it all postseason long, sacrificing a few tackles in the backfield for those key moments late in the game when the opposing defense is worn down and trying hopelessly to tackle him downfield with alligator arms. And he hates the media just as much as anyone.
- Defense That's Actually Fun to Watch - Not since the most recent heydey of the Steelers can I think of a defense with so many colorful characters and recognizable names as those of the Legion of Boom. In addition to one very loud cornerback you already know, there’s three-time All Pro safety Earl Thomas and his hard-hitting counterpart Kam Chancellor. And the Seahawks’ defensive line ain’t too shabby either with the disruptive tandem of Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett. But don’t expect these guys to bore you to death with lots of three-and-outs at the Super Bowl - they’ll be going for the kind of big hits and turnovers that have made them a force to be reckoned with all season long. For all the record-breaking offensive stats the Broncos are riding going into Sunday, Seattle has been at the top of the league in most major defensive categories including points and yards allowed per game (14 and 274 respectively), takeaways (39), opposing QB rating (29) and allowing a touchdown only once for every three red zone trips an opponent makes.
Reasons to Hate the Seahawks
- Fueling the Twelfth Man - I alluded to this in my preseason Love & Hate preview for the Seahawks, but Seattle's fans collectively known as the Twelfth Man have definitely made the leap this season from mildly endearing to infallibly smug. Though they have a roster stacked with Pro Bowlers on both sides of the ball, they are clearly most in love with the face in the mirror, whose most redeeming quality is just being really loud. So if you're already rolling your eyes over having to look at the decibel count during every single home game coupled with a bunch of ogres yelling at the network cameras with veins popping out of their necks like they're really contributing to society, you're probably waiting impatiently to see some crushed egos and tears of green-and-blue face paint should the Broncos get the upper hand. There's certainly a part of me that wants this guy's obnoxious tattoo to be completely irrelevant.
- They Kind of Cheat, Maybe - No, I'm not talking about abusing PEDs or Adderall - there isn't a team in the league that doesn't have players in this camp. For all of the praise and results the Legion of Boom secondary gets for shutting down the passing game, their methods may be more than a little shady. Some even argue that the Seahawks' defensive mode of operation is to commit pass interference on virtually every play to keep receivers from having any real shot at making a play with the assumption that the refs are only going to call it sporadically. So if you see Peyton Manning and his receivers throwing their hands up at the officiating crew in exasperation this weekend, they may have a point. Whether you believe this to be true or even care that Seattle is taking advantage of the rules that have become so offense-oriented in this era, the Seahawks are objectively the most penalized defense in the league. If Manning and the Denver coaches are effective in lobbying for more stringent officiating on Sunday, it could spell trouble for a team that has made this disruptive style their bread and butter all season long.
- The Possibility of Pete Carroll Evading Karma - If there are any football fans out there who are as vehemently opposed to the Seahawks as Broncos [and 49ers] fans are this week, I'm betting you can count the Patriots and USC faithful among them. Pete Carroll has already left not one but two programs in total disarray in the wake of his departure with minimal negative consequences for himself. As a Memphis Tigers fan who still gets white knuckles about John Calipari sometimes, I can relate. So after dragging a Super Bowl-caliber franchise down and deserting another that is still recovering from the sanctions of Carroll's unscrupulous recruiting practices, there are more than a few people who'd rather see this guy flipping burgers than hoisting a Lombardi this weekend.
No comments:
Post a Comment