{"id":5701,"date":"2016-02-07T10:32:25","date_gmt":"2016-02-07T14:32:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/?p=5701"},"modified":"2024-09-05T21:53:53","modified_gmt":"2024-09-06T01:53:53","slug":"fifty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/2016\/02\/07\/fifty\/","title":{"rendered":"Fifty"},"content":{"rendered":"

Friday was a busy day filled with household activities and paperwork.[1]<\/a> That kept me from getting a Super Bowl prediction in. So, quickly, I\u2019ll try to get something posted here Sunday morning so I am on record.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve not paid too much attention to the pre-game coverage, or read many predictions for how the experts believe the game will play out. But of the general vibe I\u2019ve picked up, it seems like most people want to pick Carolina to win big, but the strength of Denver\u2019s defense has them thinking it will be a close Panthers win.<\/p>\n

Of course hidden in that is no one believes that Peyton Manning and the Denver offense will be the deciding factor. Which is really a remarkable thing. Just two years ago the Denver offense was this juggernaut that seemingly no defense could stop. Until they ran into Seattle in the Super Bowl, that is. But the two years in between have brought a rapid decline in Manning\u2019s health and level of play. He\u2019s lost a few key weapons along the way. And in the process, an already stout Denver D has become even stronger. Peyton has turned into a game manager who takes shots in smart moments, but is content to play it safe most of the time.<\/p>\n

That transition is even more remarkable given how bad he was the first half of the season. He was flat terrible and Denver was racking up wins in spite of his poor play.<\/p>\n

But since returning from injury, he\u2019s steadied his game. It\u2019s as if in that time off, he looked at himself, came to terms with what he could and could not do anymore, and quickly made the transition to the guy who just keeps the engine chugging along instead of the generational difference maker he was most of his career. A little like John Elway late in his career. Hmmm\u2026<\/p>\n

That, along with the similarities to two years ago, when a game managing QB paired with a tremendous defense beat Manning\u2019s offensive power for the title, makes me think perhaps I should rethink my approach to the game.<\/p>\n

Because I really think Carolina is so good on offense right now, they should<\/em> dominate this game, Denver\u2019s defense be damned. It\u2019s been scary how good the Panthers have been in the first half of games recently. They score quickly and often and take the life out of their opponents. And while their defense isn\u2019t quite as good as the Broncos\u2019, it\u2019s still awfully good and has been taking opponents out of their games all season.<\/p>\n

Can the Carolina offense keep chugging along against the Denver defense? Can Peyton hang in there and solve the Carolina defense? Those are the two questions whose answers will determine the outcome.<\/p>\n

Now, who am I rooting for? I really don\u2019t care. I\u2019m not one of those Colts fans who is pulling hard for Peyton. I\u2019m indifferent to whether he wins another Super Bowl before he\u2019s done. Nice way to go out if he can get it, but I will also think it will be funny if he, once again, plays terribly in a season-ending loss. There are two Jayhawks on the Denver defense, so I like the Broncos on that side of the ball.<\/p>\n

I really don\u2019t have any strong feelings for Carolina either way. But all the Cam Newton hate makes me pull for him a little. I\u2019m trying to figure out what he\u2019s done that is any worse that two generations of athletes who have celebrated and played with joy in all the major sports. Sure, sometimes his celebrations feel more rehearsed and carefully considered than spontaneous displays of joy. And there is an element of \u201cHey, look at me!\u201d to them. But I buy into his argument that he\u2019s just a guy who loves to play the game, loves to win, and wants to share those emotions with people watching. Sports is entertainment, after all.<\/p>\n

Besides, he\u2019s on the verge of becoming the next great quarterback in the league. I think people get too hung up on his \u201cantics\u201d and fail to realize what a remarkable player he is. His game still needs some polish, for sure. But he\u2019s still young enough where that will come. He\u2019s delivering on some of the promise we saw in Colin Kaepernick before he fell apart.<\/p>\n

So, who am I picking? I think it\u2019s a tough one. I\u2019ve gone back-and-forth and have never been terribly confident. I think it stays close most of the time. Cam makes some dazzling plays but also makes some mistakes. Peyton is never spectacular, at times looks lost, but keeps the Broncos in it. And then Denver\u2019s defense makes a big play late.<\/p>\n

Denver 24, Carolina 21<\/h3>\n
\n
\n
    \n
  1. \nI\u2019ll bore you with an accounting of my paperwork efforts next week.  ↩<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Friday was a busy day filled with household activities and paperwork.[1] That kept me from getting a Super Bowl prediction in. So, quickly, I\u2019ll try to get something posted here Sunday morning so I am on record. I\u2019ve not paid too much attention to the pre-game coverage, or read many predictions for how the experts believe the game will play out. But of the general vibe I\u2019ve picked up, it seems like most people want to pick Carolina to win big, but the strength of Denver\u2019s defense has them thinking it will be a close Panthers win. Of course hidden in that is no one believes that Peyton Manning and the Denver offense will be the deciding factor. Which is really a remarkable thing. Just two years ago the Denver offense was this juggernaut that seemingly no defense could stop. Until they ran into Seattle in the Super Bowl, that is. But the two years in between have brought a rapid decline in Manning\u2019s health and level of play. He\u2019s lost a few key weapons along the way. And in the process, an already stout Denver D has become even stronger. Peyton has turned into a game manager who takes shots in smart moments, but is content to play it safe most of the time. That transition is even more remarkable given how bad he was the first half of the season. He was flat terrible and Denver was racking up wins in spite of his poor play. But since returning from injury, he\u2019s steadied his game. It\u2019s as if in that time off, he looked at himself, came to terms with what he could and could not do anymore, and quickly made the transition to the guy who just keeps the engine chugging along instead of the generational difference maker he was most of his career. A little like John Elway late in his career. Hmmm\u2026 That, along with the similarities to two years ago, when a game managing QB paired with a tremendous defense beat Manning\u2019s offensive power for the title, makes me think perhaps I should rethink my approach to the game. Because I really think Carolina is so good on offense right now, they should dominate this game, Denver\u2019s defense be damned. It\u2019s been scary how good the Panthers have been in the first half of games recently. They score quickly and often and take the life out of their opponents. And while their defense isn\u2019t quite as good as the Broncos\u2019, it\u2019s still awfully good and has been taking opponents out of their games all season. Can the Carolina offense keep chugging along against the Denver defense? Can Peyton hang in there and solve the Carolina defense? Those are the two questions whose answers will determine the outcome. Now, who am I rooting for? I really don\u2019t care. I\u2019m not one of those Colts fans who is pulling hard for Peyton. I\u2019m indifferent to whether he wins another Super Bowl before he\u2019s done. Nice way to go out if he can get it, but I will also think it will be funny if he, once again, plays terribly in a season-ending loss. There are two Jayhawks on the Denver defense, so I like the Broncos on that side of the ball. I really don\u2019t have any strong feelings for Carolina either way. But all the Cam Newton hate makes me pull for him a little. I\u2019m trying to figure out what he\u2019s done that is any worse that two generations of athletes who have celebrated and played with joy in all the major sports. Sure, sometimes his celebrations feel more rehearsed and carefully considered than spontaneous displays of joy. And there is an element of \u201cHey, look at me!\u201d to them. But I buy into his argument that he\u2019s just a guy who loves to play the game, loves to win, and wants to share those emotions with people watching. Sports is entertainment, after all. Besides, he\u2019s on the verge of becoming the next great quarterback in the league. I think people get too hung up on his \u201cantics\u201d and fail to realize what a remarkable player he is. His game still needs some polish, for sure. But he\u2019s still young enough where that will come. He\u2019s delivering on some of the promise we saw in Colin Kaepernick before he fell apart. So, who am I picking? I think it\u2019s a tough one. I\u2019ve gone back-and-forth and have never been terribly confident. I think it stays close most of the time. Cam makes some dazzling plays but also makes some mistakes. Peyton is never spectacular, at times looks lost, but keeps the Broncos in it. And then Denver\u2019s defense makes a big play late. Denver 24, Carolina 21 I\u2019ll bore you with an accounting of my paperwork efforts next week.  ↩<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[67,68],"class_list":["post-5701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-football","tag-super-bowl"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5701","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5701"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5701\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13881,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5701\/revisions\/13881"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}