Road to the Super Bowl: 12th Man Guide

Inside: Key Moments in Seahawks, Broncos History | Page 2 The Road to Super Bowl XLVIII | Page 6 Historic Super Bowl Moments | Pages 7, 10 The Legion of Boom | Pages 12, 16 Manning Spreads the Wealth | Page 17 Meet the Seahawks, Broncos | Pages 24-25

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RIVALRY Broncos-Seahawks History Broncos leads series 34-19 1977—Broncos, 24-13 (S) 1978—Broncos, 28-7 (D) 1978—Broncos, 20-17 (S) OT 1979—Broncos, 37-34 (D) 1979—Seahawks, 28-23 (S) 1980—Broncos, 36-20 (D) 1980—Broncos, 25-17 (S) 1981—Seahawks, 13-10 (S) 1981—Broncos, 23-13 (D) 1982—Seahawks, 17-10 (D) 1982—Seahawks, 13-11 (S) 1983—Seahawks, 27-19 (S) 1983—Broncos, 38-27 (D) 1983—Seahawks, 31-7 (S)-x 1984—Seahawks, 27-24 (D) 1984—Broncos, 31-14 (S) 1985—Broncos, 13-10 (D) OT 1985—Broncos, 27-24 (S) 1986—Broncos, 20-13 (D) 1986—Seahawks, 41-16 (S) 1987—Broncos, 40-17 (D) 1987—Seahawks, 28-21 (S) 1988—Seahawks, 21-14 (D) 1988—Seahawks, 42-14 (S) 1989—Broncos, 24-21 (S) OT 1989—Broncos, 41-14 (D) 1990—Broncos, 34-31 (D) OT 1990—Seahawks, 17-12 (S) 1991—Broncos, 16-10 (D) 1991—Seahawks, 13-10 (S) 1992—Seahawks, 16-13 (S) OT 1992—Broncos, 10-6 (D) 1993—Broncos, 28-17 (D) 1993—Broncos, 17-9 (S) 1994—Broncos, 16-9 (S) 1994—Broncos, 17-10 (D) 1995—Seahawks, 27-10 (S) 1995—Seahawks, 31-27 (D) 1996—Broncos, 30-20 (S) 1996—Broncos, 34-7 (D) 1997—Broncos, 35-14 (S) 1997—Broncos, 30-27 (D) 1998—Broncos, 21-16 (S) 1998—Broncos, 28-21 (D) 1999—Seahawks, 20-17 (S) 1999—Broncos, 36-30 (D) OT 2000—Broncos, 38-31 (S) 2000—Broncos, 31-24 (D) 2001—Seahawks, 34-21 (S) 2011—Broncos, 20-7 (D) 2002—Broncos, 31-9 (S) 2006—Seahawks, 23-20 (D) 2010—Broncos, 31-14 (D) x-AFC First-Round Playoff

RATINGS Super Bowl TV Ratings Super Bowl television ratings and shares, including network (both NBC and CBS televised the first Super Bowl). The rating represents the percentage of televisions tuned in to a program. The share is the percentage of televisions on at the time that watched: Year, Network............Rating Share 2013 CBS ....................46.3 69 2012 NBC ....................47.0 71 2011 FOX ......................46.0 68 2010 CBS ....................45.0 68 2009 NBC ....................42.0 64 2008 FOX ....................43.2 65 2007 CBS ....................42.6 64 2006 ABC ....................41.6 62 2005 FOX ......................41.1 62 2004 CBS ....................41.3 63 2003 ABC ....................40.7 61 2002 FOX ....................40.4 61 2001 CBS ....................40.4 61 2000 ABC ....................43.2 62 1999 FOX ....................40.2 61 1998 NBC ....................44.5 67 1997 FOX......................43.3 65 1996 NBC......................46.1 72 1995 ABC......................41.3 63 1994 NBC ....................45.4 66 1993 NBC......................45.1 66 1992 CBS ....................40.3 61 1991 ABC ......................41.8 63 1990 CBS ....................39.0 63 1989 NBC ....................43.5 68 1988 ABC......................41.9 62 1987 CBS ....................45.8 66 1986 NBC ....................48.3 70 1985 ABC ....................46.4 63 1984 CBS ....................46.4 71 1983 NBC ....................48.6 69 1982 CBS ......................49.1 73 1981 NBC ....................44.4 63 1980 CBS ....................46.3 67 1979 NBC ......................47.1 74 1978 CBS ......................47.2 67 1977 NBC ....................44.4 73 1976 CBS ....................42.3 78 1975 NBC ....................42.4 72 1974 CBS ......................41.6 73 1973 NBC ....................42.7 72 1972 CBS ....................44.2 74 1971 NBC......................39.9 75 1970 CBS ....................39.4 69 1969 NBC ....................36.0 71 1968 CBS ....................36.8 68 1967 NBC......................18.5 36 1967 CBS ....................22.6 43

NFL’s best offense, defense meet Just second meeting in 48 Super Bowls RICK GOSSELIN THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS

NEW YORK — We’ve certainly seen our share of offensive juggernauts in the NFL’s modern era.

The West Coast offense of Bill Walsh, Air Coryell in San Diego, the Greatest Show on Turf in St. Louis and the mad bombing of Dan Marino, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees.

We’ve also seen our share of suffocating defenses. The Dallas Doomsday, Miami’s No-Names, the Steel Curtain, the 1985 Bears, the 2000 Ravens and the 2002 Buccaneers immediately come to mind.

But rarely do we see great offense and defense on the same field.

We will on Sunday.

The best offense in the NFL will take the field against the best defense in the Super Bowl.

Pro Bowlers abound with quarterback Manning, wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, tight end Julius Thomas and guard Louis Vasquez for the Denver Broncos and defensive backs Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor of the Seattle Seahawks.

Such encounters are rare in the playoffs.

The NFL’s No. 1-ranked offense has squared off against the No. 1 defense in the postseason only six times in the 48-year Super Bowl era. This game marks just the second such meeting between the two No. 1s in a Super Bowl.

In the 2002 season, the Oakland Raiders wheeled into the Super Bowl with an offense that averaged a league-high 311 yards and 28.1 points per game. The Buccaneers showed up with a defense that allowed a leaguelow 252 yards and 12.2 points per game.

Defense wins championships — at least it did that night as the Bucs prevailed, 48-21. The Tampa Bay defense actually scored more touchdowns (three) than the Oakland offense (two).

But defense wins championships on most days, in fact. The NFL’s No. 1 defense holds a 3-2 edge against the No. 1 offense in the five other playoff meetings.

McClatchy news service

Walter Thurmond (28) and Byron Maxwell celebrate Thurmond’s fourth-quarter interception for a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings on Nov. 17.

Defenses of the 1992 Cowboys, 1982 Dolphins and 1976 Steelers joined the 2002 Bucs in beating top-ranked offenses in the postseason. Offenses of the 1980 Chargers and 1989 49ers came out on top against top-ranked defenses in the other two playoff meetings.

The Broncos became the first team in NFL history to score 600 points this season as Manning set records for passing yards and touchdowns.

Denver hit 50 points in three games and rang up 40 or more in three others.

That offense is why the Broncos have been installed as a two-point favorite over the Seahawks.

But defense deserves more respect in February.

The NFL’s No. 1-ranked defense has played in 11 Super Bowls and carved out an 8-3 record — and that includes a five-game winning streak. The last top-ranked defense to lose in a Super Bowl belonged to the 1982 Dolphins.

Top-ranked offenses, by the way, are 8-6 in their 14 Super Bowl appearances, including a 1-3 mark since 2000.

The Seahawks are certainly a worthy opponent for the Broncos. Seattle allowed an average of only 273.6 yards per game this season. But what the Seahawks did best — better than anyone else in the league, in fact — was keep the opposition out of the end zone.

The Seahawks finished first in the league in scoring defense at 14.4 points per game. Seattle allowed only 20 offensive touchdowns all season.

As a point of reference, the Cowboys allowed 15 offensive touchdowns in December alone.

The Seahawks shut out the New York Giants and held five other opponents in single digits on the scoreboard. New Orleans brought the NFL’s fourth-ranked offense into Seattle this season and left a 24-7 loser.

The Seahawks led the NFL in takeaways (39) and interceptions (28) and finished seventh in sacks (44). Seattle also allowed only one 300-yard passer and three 100-yard receivers all season. The only 300-yard passer (Matt Schaub) came in September, and the last 100-yard receiver (T.Y. Hilton) came in October.

Manning led the NFL with 12 300yard passing games, including four 400-yard days. His receivers led the NFL with 12 100-yard games, including six by Demaryius Thomas.

Manning is averaging 342 passing yards per game. The Seahawks are allowing an average of 172 passing yards per game. Manning passed for 16 touchdowns in September. The Seahawks allowed 16 TD passes all season.

Something has to give — and this late in a season, it’s usually the offense.

Team Comparison OFFENSE DEN GAMES (Won-Lost) ..........13-3 FIRST DOWNS ..................435 Rushing..............................107 Passing ............................293 Penalty................................35 YDS GAINED (tot) ..............7317 Avg per Game..................457.3 RUSHING (net) ..................1873 Avg per Game ....................117.1 Rushes ..............................461 Yards per Rush ....................4.1 PASSING (net)..................5444 Avg per Game ................340.3 Passes Att. ........................675 Completed ........................461 Pct Completed..................68.3 Yards Gained ..................5572 Sacked................................20 Yards Lost..........................128 Had intercepted ..................10 Yards Opp Ret ....................131 Opp TDs on Int ......................2 PUNTS ................................66 Avg Yards ........................43.8 PUNT RETURNS ..................44 Avg Return ..........................7.8 Returned for TD ....................1 KICKOFF RETURNS..............39 Avg Return........................25.0 Returned for TD ....................1 PENALTIES..........................117 Yards Penalized................1000 FUMBLES BY ......................27 Fumbles Lost ......................16 Opp Fumbles ......................25 Opp Fum Lost ........................9 POSS. TIME (avg) ............30:31 TOUCHDOWNS ....................76 Rushing ..............................16 Passing ..............................55 Returns ................................5 FIELD GOALS/FGA ..........25/26 POINTS SCORED ..............606 DEFENSE DEN POINTS ALLOWED ............399 OPP FIRST DOWNS ..........339 Rushing ..............................90 Passing ............................208 Penalty ................................41 OPP YARDS GAINED ........5696 Avg per Game ................356.0 OPP RUSHING(net) ..........1626 Avg per Game ..................101.6 Rushes..............................420 Yards per Rush ..................3.9 OPP PASSING(net) ..........4070 Avg per Game ................254.4 Passes Att. ........................613 Completed ........................357 Pct Completed..................58.2 Sacked ................................41 Yards Lost ........................290 INTERCEPTED BY ................17 Yards Returned ..................141 Returned for TD ....................1 OPP PUNT RETURNS ..........28 Avg return ..........................9.8 OPP KICKOFF RET ..............32 Avg return ........................29.3 OPP TOUCHDOWNS ............47 Rushing ..............................15 Passing ..............................29 Returns ................................3

SEA 13-3 307 116 160 31 5424 339.0 2188 136.8 509 4.3 3236 202.3 420 267 63.6 3508 44 272 9 21 0 76 41.6 52 11.0 0 33 21.2 0 128 1183 26 10 26 11 30:32 45 14 27 4 33/35 417 SEA 231 282 83 156 43 4378 273.6 1626 101.6 422 3.9 2752 172.0 524 309 59.0 44 298 28 385 3 21 3.9 44 24.0 22 4 16 2

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Moral support is Wilson family tradition Father’s death just part of reason why extended family remains so close WILLIAM C. RHODEN NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE

S

EATTLE — Benjamin Wilson arrived in town near midnight the night before the NFC Championship.

Although Wilson’s nephew Russell is the Seahawks’ starting quarterback, Ben Wilson originally did not plan to attend the title game between Seattle and San Francisco. Then he had an epiphany: This was more than a big game; this was yet another signature moment for the Wilson family tree.

“I woke up Thursday morning and said, ‘Man, you’d better be there, this may never happen again,’ ” Wilson said. “My brother would be there.”

He was right. Russell Wilson wasn’t great but he was clutch, leading the Seahawks past the 49ers 23-17 and into the Super Bowl. Ben Wilson’s younger brother Harry, Russell Wilson’s father, died too soon at 55 from complications of diabetes.

Since his brother’s death in 2010, Ben has been part of a sprawling familial support network for Russell, Russell’s older brother and a sister.

Ben Wilson, 62, provided moral support during his nephew’s collegiate and early professional career, flying across the country to attend games.

When Russell was at North Carolina State, Ben drove to a Richmond, Va., hospital to give his ailing brother a play-by-play account of Wolfpack games that were not televised. Diabetes had ravaged Harry’s vision, so Ben would describe Russell’s play.

Four years after Harry’s death, his son was a victory from the Super Bowl. Ben Wilson was excited yet sad.

“I’m the oldest child in the family, and Harry was the next oldest brother,” he said. “We were close.

“When you look at Russell, the physical resemblance to his dad — his mannerisms are similar; they smile and frown the same, they run the

McClatchy Newspapers

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) has strong moral support from his family that has rallied around family tragedies as well as celebrations.

same, their expressions are the same.

There is a certain melancholy. I’m excited about seeing him; at the same time, he reminds me of my brother and makes me miss my brother at the same time.”

The Wilson brothers were raised in Jackson, Miss. Their father, Harrison B. Wilson Jr., was the head men’s basketball coach and an assistant football coach at Jackson State in the 1950s.

He later became the president of Norfolk State.

At Jackson State, the Wilson boys were surrounded by great athletes and outstanding coaching minds. “We beat Grambling when they had Willis Reed, beat Winston-Salem with Earl Monroe, beat Prairie View with Zelmo Beaty,” Ben Wilson recalled of his father’s basketball teams. “The football team had Willie Richardson and Lem Barney.”

Ben wound up attending Wilbraham,

a prep school near Springfield, Mass., after a Jackson State English professor, while attending a conference in Connecticut, learned that Wilbraham was looking for talented black students.

Wilson applied, was accepted and attended after his family was able to piece together the tuition. The next stop was Dartmouth, where he made the football team and played on the 1970 squad, which went undefeated and won the Ivy League championship.

Each of Wilson’s three brothers followed his path to Wilbraham, and then Dartmouth. Harry, a receiver, was the best player by far.

“He was the Fred Biletnikoff of Hanover, the Ivy League’s Johnny Rodgers,” Wilson said.

He laughed when teased about not being able to persuade his nephew to attend Dartmouth as well. The course of Ivy League football, and certainly

of Dartmouth football, might have changed significantly.

“I took him on a tour of the campus,” Ben Wilson said. “He clearly enjoyed being on the campus where his dad had been a student.”

Nevertheless, Ben Wilson isn’t so sure that Dartmouth would have been the ideal place for his nephew. “All of the doubts that were raised about Russell would have been exacerbated had he gone to Dartmouth, because people would have said, ‘Not only is he small, but he hasn’t played against any competition,’ ” he said. “That would have been yet another hurdle to overcome.”

In retrospect, Russell Wilson could have made it regardless of where he played. Drafted in the third round in 2012, he won the starting job as a rookie, and he has led the Seahawks to the playoffs in each of two seasons.

Ben Wilson credits Harry with

instilling in Russell the kind of leadership qualities that allow individuals to soar to heights no one else thought possible.

Ben Wilson, who attended Harvard Law School after Dartmouth, lives in Washington, where he is a managing principal of Beveridge & Diamond, an environmental law firm. He derives some satisfaction from living in the heart of Robert Griffin III territory.

Russell Wilson, it seemed, was never the first one mentioned last season when people spoke of rookie quarterbacks. It was the Redskins’ Griffin or the Indianapolis Colts’ Andrew Luck, Luck or Griffin, Griffin or Luck.

Wilson was always third.

A year ago, in a playoff victory at Washington, Wilson gave a consummate performance, displaying a compendium of the skills that make him who he is: rushing for 67 yards, passing for a touchdown, sprinting past running back Marshawn Lynch and throwing a block that sprung Lynch for a game-winning 27 yard touchdown run.

That Sunday against the Niners was not one of Wilson’s stellar days (he started off with a fumble). But he performed when he had to. With Seattle trailing in the fourth quarter, Wilson connected with Jermaine Kearse on a perfectly executed seam route that gave Seattle the lead for good.

“He’s a thinking man’s quarterback, a whatever-it-takes player,” Ben Wilson said. “Harry taught Russell how to play the game and how to respect the game. Russell has been on this relentless quest to win and to win the right way.”

Wilson said that while his brother would have been delighted by Russell’s victories and accolades, he would have been proudest of his son’s perseverance. Four years after his father’s death, Russell is thriving.

Now Harry Wilson’s son is Super Bowl bound.

“I know how much it meant to my brother that his children are prepared to compete at the highest level and succeed,” he said, adding: “Russell is competing and succeeding at the highest level of his profession. In my mind, he’s already achieved the goal my brother would have wanted.”

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THE ROADS LESS TRAVELED ...

THE COACHES Pete Carroll Regular Season Year, Team W L T Pct 1994 N.Y. Jets ........6 10 0 .375 1997 New England 10 6 0 .625 1998 New England ..9 7 0 .563 1999 New England ..8 8 0 .500 2010 Seattle............7 9 0 .438 2011 Seattle ............7 9 0 .438 2012 Seattle ..........11 5 0 .688 2013 Seattle ..........13 3 0 .813 N.Y. Jets Total..........6 10 0 .375 New England ........27 21 0 .563 Seattle Total..........38 26 0 .594 Overall Total 71 57 0 .555 Playoffs Year, Team W L Pct 1997 New England ......1 1 .500 1998 New England ....0 1 .000 2010 Seattle ..............1 1 .500 2012 Seattle ..............1 1 .500 2013 Seattle ..............2 0 1.000 Total 5 4 .556 1997 — Won wild-card playoff against Miami 17-3; lost divisional playoff to Pittsburgh 7-6.

1998 — Lost wildcard playoff to Jacksonville 25-10.

2010 — Won wildcard playoff against New Orleans 41-36; lost divisional playCarroll off to Chicago 35-24.

2012 — Won wild-card playoff against Washington 24-14; lost divisional playoff to Atlanta 30-28.

2013 — Won divisional playoff against New Orleans 23-15; won NFC championship against San Francisco 23-17.

John Fox Regular Season Year Team W L T Pct 2002 Carolina ........7 9 0 .438 2003 Carolina ........11 5 0 .688 2004 Carolina ........7 9 0 .438 2005 Carolina ........11 5 0 .688 2006 Carolina ........8 8 0 .500 2007 Carolina..........7 9 0 .438 2008 Carolina........12 4 0 .750 2009 Carolina ........8 8 0 .500 2010 Carolina..........2 14 0 .125 2011 Denver............8 8 0 .500 2012 Denver..........13 3 0 .813 2013 Denver..........13 3 0 .813 Carolina Total ........73 71 0 .507 Denver Total..........34 14 0 .708 Total 107 85 0 .583 Postseason Year Team W L Pct 2003 Carolina ............3 1 .750 2005 Carolina ............2 1 .667 2008 Carolina ............0 1 .000 2011 Denver................1 1 .500 2012 Denver ..............0 1 .000 2013 Denver ..............2 0 1.000 Total 8 5 .615 2003 — Won wild-card playoff against Dallas 29-10; won divisional playoff against St. Louis 29-26 2OT; won NFC championship against Philadelphia 14-3; lost Super Bowl to New England 32-29.

2005 — Won wildcard playoff against Fox N.Y. Giants 23-0; won divisional playoff against Chicago 29-21; lost NFC championship to Seattle 34-14.

2008 — Lost divisional playoff to Arizona 33-13.

2011 — Won wild-card playoff against Pittsburgh 29-23 OT; lost divisional playoff to New England 45-10.

2012 — Lost divisional playoff to Baltimore 38-35 2OT. 2013 — Won divisional playoff against San Diego 24-17; won AFC championship to New England 26-16.

Super Bowl coaches of two teams Don Shula — Baltimore (1968); Miami (1971-73, 1982, 1984) Bill Parcells — N.Y. Giants (1986, 1990); New England (1996) Dan Reeves — Denver (1986-87, 1989); Atlanta (1998) Dick Vermeil — Philadelphia (1980); St. Louis (1999) Mike Holmgren — Green Bay (1996-97); Seattle (2005) John Fox — Carolina (2003); Denver (2013)

Associated Press

Seahawks All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman lost his shoe but held on to the ball during this pick-6 interception against the Houston Texans on Sept. 29. The 58-yard score pulled Seattle even with 2:40 left in the game, and the Seahawks won in overtime for their first 4-0 start in franchise history.

High point The Seahawks took the rubber match in what is now the NFL’s hottest rivalry when they defeated NFC West adversary San Francisco, 2317, in the NFC championship and advanced to the Super Bowl for the second time. The Seahawks took their first lead of an intensely played game at 20-17 when quarterback Russell Wilson hit Jermaine Kearse for a 35-yard touchdown on fourth-and-seven, a free play when a 49ers outside linebacker Aldon Smith had jumped offsides.

The game wasn’t settled until seconds remained, and on first down from the Seattle 18, cornerback Richard Sherman tipped a pass intended for Michael Crabtree, and Malcolm Smith made the interception, followed by Sherman’s post-game rant heard around the world.

Low point The Seahawks’ 14-game home winning streak was snapped in a frustrating 17-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Dec. 22. The Seahawks intercepted Carson Palmer four times but could not generate much offense, punting a seasonmost nine times. Typifying the frustration, after Malcolm Smith intercepted a Chris Clemons-batted pass with 42 seconds left in the first half and returned it to the 3, the Seahawks could not move the ball, and Steven Hauschka’s 24-yard field-goal attempt hit the upright and was no

... by the Seahawks good. Trailing 17-10 in the final 2 minutes, Russell Wilson’s pass to Doug Baldwin caromed off Baldwin’s arm and was intercepted, allowing Arizona to run out the clock.

Play of the year The Seahawks trailed at Houston 20-13 in week four after a Russell Wilson pass was intercepted with 5 minutes left in regulation. But cornerback Richard Sherman jumped a route and intercepted a pass by Houston’s Matt Schaub intended for Owen Daniels. Sherman returned it 58 yards for a touchdown, tying the game with 2:40 remaining. Steven Hauschka hit a 45-yard field goal with 3:23 left in overtime, and the Seahawks began a season 4-0 for the first time in franchise history.

Team MVP The Seahawks were one of few NFL teams that ran the ball more than they threw it (509 runs, 464 dropbacks), and that’s because of Marshawn Lynch, who ranked sixth in the NFL in rushing with 1,257 yards and tied the Chiefs’ Jamaal Charles with 12 rushing TDs. Quarterback Russell Wilson called Lynch the club’s MVP

because his running establishes the team’s physical style of the offense and takes the pressure off the passing game.

Best coaching move This happened before the season, when Seattle coach Pete Carroll made changes to a defense that had surrendered the fewest points in the NFL and ranked fourth in yards allowed.

Carroll and new defensive coordinator Dan Quinn moved six of their 10 returning starters to line up at new positions or trade roles, such as switching from weak side to strong side or swapping responsibilities in the secondary. The result: the No. 1-ranked defense in the NFL, which created the most turnovers and still allowed the fewest points.

Defining moment The Seahawks put up a goal-line stand that preserved a 14-9 win in a Monday night game at St. Louis on Oct. 28. The Rams, starting from their 3, drove to inside the Seattle 10, but were held out of the end zone on five plays from inside the 6. Run stops by Earl Thomas and Heath Farwell and pass coverage by Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner led to a fourth-down pass attempt falling incomplete with no time left, and the Seahawks improved to 7-1 for the first time.

— Randy Covitz, The Kansas City Star

... by the Broncos High point The Broncos dominated New England 26-16 in winning the AFC championship game. Denver scored on six consecutive possessions — two touchdowns and four field goals — and kept the Patriots out of the end zone until the fourth quarter. The victory gave Peyton Manning a muchneeded win over Brady, squaring their AFC championship matchups at 2-2. And it erased the bitter memory of last season’s double-overtime loss to Baltimore.

Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno made a lot of big plays against the Cowboys when they played Oct. 6, including this hurdle of J.J. Wilcox. But none was bigger than his decision to stop short of the end zone late in the game, allowing Denver to run out the clock on a key victory.

Low point The Broncos blew the biggest lead in franchise history, a 24-0 halftime advantage at New England, and lost 34-31 in overtime Nov. 24. The Broncos forced three turnovers in the first half, and running back Knowshon Moreno ran for 224 yards, the best performance in the NFL in 2013.

But Brady and the Patriots would storm back in the second half and took a 31-24 lead before Manning hit Demaryius Thomas with an 11-yard TD pass late in the fourth quarter. But a New England punt in overtime glanced off Broncos cornerback Tony Carter and was recovered by the Patriots. Stephen Gostkowski then won the game with a 31-yard field goal, handing the Broncos their second loss.

Play of the year It wasn’t spectacular, but it was a heady play by Moreno that helped the Broncos win a 51-48 shootout at Dallas on Oct. 6. With 1:57 left and the score tied at 48, Broncos LB Danny Trevathan intercepted a Tony Romo pass at the Cowboys 24.

When Moreno ran for 1 yard and a first down rather than 2 yards and a touchdown, it enabled the Broncos to drain the clock and Matt Prater kicked a game-winning, 28-yard field goal.

Team MVP Is there any doubt? Quarterback Peyton Manning is the odds-on favorite to extend his record of NFL Most Valuable Player awards with five when it’s announced Sunday night. All he did was throw for more yards (5,477) and more touchdowns (55) in a single season than any NFL player.

He also set a league record with 289 first downs by passing.

Associated Press

Best coaching move

Defining moment

During the Broncos bye week, coach John Fox was stricken with a heart ailment and underwent aortic valve replacement surgery Nov. 4. Defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, a former coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, stepped in as interim coach and led the Broncos to a 3-1 record before Fox returned for the final four games and through the playoffs to the Super Bowl. That scenario is unprecedented in NFL history.

The Baltimore Ravens opened defense of their Super Bowl title in Denver, where they had broken the Broncos’ hearts with a double-overtime win in the 2012 playoffs. Manning matched an NFL record with seven TD passes, capped by a 78-yard bubble screen to Demaryius Thomas in the 49-27 victory.

That result exorcised the painful playoff loss and catapulted Manning to his record-setting season.

— Randy Covitz, The Kansas City Star

12TH MAN GUIDE

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BEST OF THE BEST Super Bowl Individual Leaders 100-YARD RUSHING GAMES Att. Tim Smith, Washington vs. Denver, 1988 (XXII) ............................22 Marcus Allen, L.A. Raiders vs. Washington, 1984 (XVIII) ................20 John Riggins, Washington vs. Miami, 1983 (XVII) ..........................38 Franco Harris, Pittsburgh vs. Minnesota, 1975 (IX) ......................34 Terrell Davis, Denver vs. Green Bay, 1998 (XXXII)..........................30 Larry Csonka, Miami vs. Minnesota, 1974 (VIII) ............................33 Clarence Davis, Oakland vs. Minnesota, 1977 (XI)..........................16 Thurman Thomas, Buffalo vs. N.Y. Giants, 1991 (XXV)....................15 Emmitt Smith, Dallas vs. Buffalo, 1994 (XXVIII) ............................30 Michael Pittman, Tampa Bay vs. Oakland, 2003 (XXXVII) ..............29 Matt Snell, N.Y. Jets vs. Baltimore, 1969 (III) ................................30 Tom Matte, Baltimore vs. N.Y. Jets, 1969 (III)..................................11 Dominic Rhodes, Indianapolis vs. Chicago, 2007 (XLI) ..................21 Larry Csonka, Miami vs. Washington, 1973 (VII) ............................15 Thomas Jones, Chicago vs. Indianapolis, 2007 (XLI)......................15 Frank Gore, San Francisco vs. Baltimore, 2014 (XLVIII)..................19 Emmitt Smith, Dallas vs. Buffalo, 1993 (XXVII) ..............................22 Ottis Anderson, N.Y. Giants vs. Buffalo, 1991 (XXV)........................21 Terrell Davis, Denver vs. Atlanta, 1999 (XXXIII)..............................25 Jamal Lewis, Baltimore vs. N.Y. Giants, 2001 (XXXV) ....................27

Yds. 204 191 166 158 157 145 137 135 132 124 121 116 113 112 112 110 108 102 102 102

Avg. 9.3 9.6 4.4 4.6 5.2 4.4 8.6 9.0 4.4 4.3 4.0 10.5 5.4 7.5 7.5 5.8 4.9 4.9 4.1 3.8

TD 2 2 1 1 3 2 0 1 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 1

Yds. 215 193 162 161 152 152 149 148 143 140 140 138 133 133 131 129 127

Avg. 19.5 21.4 27.0 40.3 19.0 30.4 14.9 21.1 14.3 35.0 15.6 19.7 16.6 12.1 14.6 32.3 18.1

TD 1 2 1 1 0 1 3 3 1 1 1 2 0 0 1 0 2

100-YARD RECEIVING GAMES Rec. Jerry Rice, San Francisco vs. Cincinnati, 1989 (XXIII) ....................11 Ricky Sanders, Washington vs. Denver, 1988 (XXII) ........................9 Isaac Bruce, St. Louis vs. Tennessee, 2000 (XXXIV) ......................6 Lynn Swann, Pittsburgh vs. Dallas, 1976 (X) ..................................4 Andre Reed, Buffalo vs. Dallas, 1993 (XXVII) ..................................8 Rod Smith, Denver vs. Atlanta, 1999 (XXXIII) ..................................5 Jerry Rice, San Francisco vs. San Diego, 1995 (XXIX) ..................10 Jerry Rice, San Francisco vs. Denver, 1990 (XXIV)..........................7 Deion Branch, New England vs. Carolina, 2004 (XXVIII) ................10 Muhsin Muhammad, Carolina vs. New Eng., 2004 (XXVIII) ..............4 Jordy Nelson, Green Bay vs. Pittsburgh, 2011 (XLV)........................9 Max McGee, Green Bay vs. Kansas City, 1967 (I) ............................7 George Sauer, N.Y.Jets vs. Baltimore, 1969 (III) ..............................8 Deion Branch, New England vs. Phila., 2005 (XXXIX) ....................11 Santonio Holmes, Pittsburgh vs. Arizona, 2009 (XLIII) ....................9 Willie Gault, Chicago vs. New England, 1986 (XX)............................4 Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona vs. Pitt., 2009 (XLIII) ................................7

Longest plays in Super Bowl history LONGEST RUNS FROM SCRIMMAGE 75, Willie Parker, Pittsburgh vs. Seattle, 2006, (XL) - TD 74, Marcus Allen, L.A. Raiders vs. Washington, 1984 (XVIII) - TD 58, Tom Matte, Baltimore vs. N.Y. Jets, 1969 (III) 58, Tim Smith, Washington vs. Denver, 1988 (XXII) - TD 52, Thomas Jones, Chicago vs. Indianapolis, 2007 (XLI) LONGEST PASS PLAYS 85, Jake Delhomme to Muhsin Muhammad, Carolina vs. New England, 2004 (XXVIII) - TD 81, Brett Favre to Antonio Freeman, Green Bay vs. New England, 1997 (XXXI) - TD 80, Jim Plunkett to Kenny King, Oakland vs. Philadelphia, 1981 (XV) - TD 80, Doug Williams to Ricky Sanders, Washington vs. Denver, 1988 (XXII) - TD 80, John Elway to Rod Smith, Denver vs. Atlanta, 1999 (XXXIII) - TD LONGEST PUNT RETURNS 45, John Taylor, San Francisco vs. Cincinnati, 1989 (XXIII)

Antonio Freeman, Green Bay vs. Denver, 1998 (XXXII) ....................9 Lynn Swann, Pittsburgh vs. Dallas, 1979 (XIII) ................................7 Hines Ward, Pittsburgh vs. Seattle, 2006 (XL) ................................7 Terrell Owens, Philadelphia vs. New Eng., 2005 (XXXIX) ................9 John Stallworth, Pittsburgh vs. L.A. Rams, 1980 (XIV) ....................3 Vance Johnson, Denver vs. N.Y. Giants, 1987 (XXI)..........................5 John Stallworth, Pittsburgh vs. Dallas, 1979 (XIII)............................3 Gary Clark, Washington vs. Buffalo, 1992 (XXVI) ............................7 Michael Irvin, Dallas vs. Buffalo, 1993 (XXVII) ................................6 Art Monk, Washington vs. Buffalo, 1992 (XXVI) ..............................7 John Henderson, Minnesota vs. Kansas City, 1970 (IV)....................7 Torry Holt, St. Louis vs. Tennessee, 2000 (XXXIV) ..........................7 Hakeem Nicks, N.Y. Giants vs. New England, 2012 (XLVI) ..............10 Michael Crabtree, San Francisco vs. Balt., 2014(XLVIII) ..................5 Cris Collinsworth, Cin. vs. San Francisco, 1982 (XVI)......................5 Antonio Freeman, Green Bay vs. New England, 1997 (XXXI) ............3 Dan Ross, Cincinnati vs. San Francisco, 1982 (XVI) ......................11 Anquan Boldin, Balt. vs. San Francisco, 2014 (XLVIII)......................6 Vernon Davis, San Francisco vs. Balt., 2014 (XLVIII) ......................6 Wes Welker, New England vs. N.Y. Giants, 2008 (XLII) ....................11 Roger Craig, San Francisco vs. Cincinnati, 1989 (XXIII) ..................8

126 124 124 122 121 121 115 114 114 113 111 109 109 109 107 105 104 104 104 103 101

14.0 17.7 17.7 13.6 40.3 24.2 38.3 16.3 19.0 16.1 15.9 15.6 10.9 21.8 21.4 35.0 9.5 17.3 17.3 9.4 12.6

2 1 1 0 1 1 2 1 2 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 2 1 0 0 0

300-YARD PASSING GAMES Att. Kurt Warner, St. Louis vs. Tennessee, 2000 (XXXIV) ....................45 Kurt Warner, Arizona vs. New England, 2009 (XLIII) ....................43 Kurt Warner, St. Louis vs. New England, 2002 (XXXVI) ................44 Joe Montana, San Francisco vs. Cincinnati, 1989 (XXIII) ..............36 Donovan McNabb, Phil. vs. New England, 2005 (XXXIX) ..............51 Tom Brady, New England vs. Carolina, 2004 (XXVIII) ....................48 Doug Williams, Washington vs. Denver, 1988 (XXII) ......................29 John Elway, Denver vs. Atlanta, 1999 (XXXIII) ..............................29 Peyton Manning, Ind. vs. New Orleans, 2010 (XLIV)......................45 Joe Montana, San Francisco vs. Miami, 1985 (XIX) ......................35 Steve Young, San Francisco vs. San Diego, 1995 (XXIX) ..............36 Jake Delhomme, Carolina vs. New England, 2004 (XXVIII) ............33 Terry Bradshaw, Pittsburgh vs. Dallas, 1979 (XIII) ........................30 Dan Marino, Miami vs. San Francisco, 1985 (XIX) ........................50 Terry Bradshaw, Pittsburgh vs. L.A. Rams, 1980 (XIV) ..................21 John Elway, Denver vs. N.Y. Giants, 1987 (XXI)..............................37 Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay vs. Pittsburgh, 2011 (XLV) ..................39 Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco vs. Balt., 2014(XLVIII) ................28 Ken Anderson, Cincinnati vs. San Francisco, 1982 (XVI) ..............34

34, Darrell Green, Washington vs. L.A. Raiders, 1984 (XVIII) 34, Desmond Howard, Green Bay vs. New England, 1997 (XXXI) 34, Jermaine Lewis, Baltimore vs. N.Y. Giants, 2001 (XXXV) 31, Willie Wood, Green Bay vs. Oakland, 1968 (II)

Cmp. 24 31 28 23 30 32 18 18 31 24 24 16 17 29 14 22 24 16 25

Yds 414 377 365 357 357 354 340 336 333 331 325 323 318 318 309 304 304 302 300

TD 2 3 1 2 3 3 4 1 1 3 6 3 4 1 2 1 3 1 2

Int 0 1 2 0 3 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 2 3 1 0 1 2

60, Herb Adderley, Green Bay vs. Oakland, 1968 (II) - TD

LONGEST KICKOFF RETURNS 108, Jacoby Jones, Baltimore vs. San Francisco, 2013 (XLVII) — TD 99, Desmond Howard, Green Bay vs. New England, 1997 (XXXI) TD 98, Andre Coleman, San Diego vs. San Francisco, 1995 (XXIX) TD 98, Fulton Walker, Miami vs. Washington, 1983 (XVII) - TD 97, Ron Dixon, N.Y. Giants vs. Baltimore, 2001 (XXXV) - TD LONGEST INTERCEPTION RETURNS 100, James Harrison, Pittsburgh vs. Arizona, 2009 (XLIII) - TD 76, Kelly Herndon, Seattle vs. Pittsburgh, 2006, (XL) 75, Willie Brown, Oakland vs. Minnesota, 1977 (XI) - TD 74, Tracy Porter, New Orleans vs. Indianapolis, 2010 (XLIV) - TD

LONGEST PUNTS 63, Lee Johnson, Cincinnati vs. San Francisco, 1989 (XXIII) 62, Rich Camarillo, New England vs. Chicago, 1986 (XX) 61, Jerrel Wilson, Kansas City vs. Green Bay, 1967 (I) 60, Chris Gardocki, Pittsburgh vs. Seattle, 2006 (XL) 59, Jerrel Wilson, Kansas City vs. Minnesota, 1970 (IV) 59, Bobby Walden, Pittsburgh vs. Dallas, 1976 (X) 59, Ken Clark, L.A. Rams vs. Pittsburgh, 1980 (XIV) 59, Sean Landeta, N.Y. Giants vs. Denver, 1987 (XXI) LONGEST FIELD GOALS MADE 54, Steve Christie, Buffalo vs. Dallas, 1994 (XVIII) 51, Jason Elam, Denver vs. Green Bay, 1998 (XXXII) 50, Jeff Wilkins, St. Louis vs. New England, 2002 (XXXVI) 50, John Kasay, Carolina vs. New England, 2004 (XXVIII) 48, Jan Stenerud, Kansas City vs. Minnesota, 1970 (IV) 48, Rich Karlis, Denver vs. N.Y. Giants, 1987 (XXI) 48, Adam Vinatieri, New England vs. St. Louis, 2002 (XXXVI) — Associated Press

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 2014 | TRI-CITY HERALD

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12TH MAN GUIDE

TRI-CITY HERALD | FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 2014

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Super Bowl Facts and Figures

Associated Press

Eli Manning was Super Bowl MVP two years ago.

SUPER BOWL MVPS 2013—Joe Flacco, QB, Baltimore 2012—Eli Manning, QB, N.Y. Giants 2011—Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay 2010—Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans 2009—Santonio Holmes, WR, Pittsburgh 2008—Eli Manning, QB, N.Y. Giants 2007—Peyton Manning, QB, Indianapolis 2006—Hines Ward, WR, Pittsburgh 2005—Deion Branch, WR, New England 2004—Tom Brady, QB, New England 2003—Dexter Jackson, FS, Tampa Bay 2002—Tom Brady, QB, New England 2001—Ray Lewis, LB, Baltimore 2000—Kurt Warner, QB, St. Louis 1999—John Elway, QB, Denver 1998—Terrell Davis, RB, Denver 1997—Desmond Howard, KR, Green Bay 1996—Larry Brown, CB, Dallas 1995—Steve Young, QB, San Francisco 1994—Emmitt Smith, RB, Dallas 1993—Troy Aikman, QB, Dallas 1992—Mark Rypien, QB, Washington 1991—Ottis Anderson, RB, N.Y. Giants 1990—Joe Montana, QB, San Francisco 1989—Jerry Rice, WR, San Francisco 1988—Doug Williams, QB, Washington 1987—Phil Simms, QB, N.Y. Giants 1986—Richard Dent, DE, Chicago 1985—Joe Montana, QB, San Francisco 1984—Marcus Allen, RB, L.A. Raiders 1983—John Riggins, RB, Washington 1982—Joe Montana, QB, San Francisco 1981—Jim Plunkett, QB, Oakland 1980—Terry Bradshaw, QB, Pittsburgh 1979—Terry Bradshaw, QB, Pittsburgh 1978—Randy White, DT and Harvey Martin, DE, Dallas 1977—Fred Biletnikoff, WR, Oakland 1976—Lynn Swann, WR, Pittsburgh 1975—Franco Harris, RB, Pittsburgh 1974—Larry Csonka, RB, Miami 1973—Jake Scott, S, Miami 1972—Roger Staubach, QB, Dallas 1971—Chuck Howley, LB, Dallas 1970—Len Dawson, QB, Kansas City 1969—Joe Namath, QB, N.Y. Jets 1968—Bart Starr, QB, Green Bay 1967—Bart Starr, QB, Green Bay

SUPER PAYCHECKS Super Bowl Player Shares Winner-Loser 2014—$92,000-$46,000 2013—$88,000-$44,000 2012—$88,000-$44,000 2011—$83,000-$42,000 2010—$83,000-$42,000 2009—$78,000-$40,000 2008—$78,000-$40,000 2007—$78,000-$40,000 2006—$73,000-$38,000 2005—$68,000-$36,500 2004—$68,000-$36,500 2003—$63,000-$35,000 2002—$63,000-$34,500 2001—$58,000-$34,500 2000—$58,000-$33,000 1999—$53,000-$32,500 1998—$48,000-$29,000 1997—$48,000-$29,000 1996—$42,000-$27,000 1995—$42,000-$26,000 1994—$38,000-$23,500 1993—$36,000-$18,000 1992—$36,000-$18,000 1991—$36,000-$18,000 1990—$36,000-$18,000 1989—$36,000-$18,000 1988—$36,000-$18,000 1987—$36,000-$18,000 1986—$36,000-$18,000 1985—$36,000-$18,000 1984—$36,000-$18,000 1983—$36,000-$18,000 1982—$18,000-$9,000 1981—$18,000-$9,000 1980—$18,000-$9,000 1979—$18,000-$9,000 1978—$18,000-$9,000 1977—$15,000-$7,500 1976—$15,000-$7,500 1975—$15,000-$7,500 1974—$15,000-$7,500 1973—$15,000-$7,500 1972—$15,000-$7,500 1971—$15,000-$7,500 1970—$15,000-$7,500 1969—$15,000-$7,500 1968—$15,000-$7,500 1967—$15,000-$7,500

Associated Press

Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch doesn’t let little things like defensive backs — in this case Saints cornerback Corey White — get in his way of reaching the end zone and a shower of Skittles.

AT STAKE — National Football League Championship for the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

PARTICIPANTS — Denver Broncos (AFC) and Seattle Seahawks (NFC). This the seventh appearance for the Broncos (2-4) and second appearance for Seattle (0-1).

SITE — Metlife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J. This is the first Super Bowl played in the New York area.

SEATING CAPACITY — 82,500.

DATE — Sunday.

KICKOFF — 3:30 p.m.

NETWORK COVERAGE — By FOX-TV to more than 200 stations throughout the United States.

Westwood One Radio to 600 stations within the United States. The Armed Forces Television will also provide broadcast to 175 countries throughout the world.

The game will be distributed internationally by the NFL and NFL International to more than 185 countries and broadcast in 30 different languages.

PLAYERS SHARE — Winners: $92,000 per man. Losers: $46,000 per man.

PLAYER UNIFORMS — Denver will be the home team and has its choice of wearing its colored or white jersey.

OVERTIME — At the end of regulation playing time, the referee will immediately toss a coin at the center of the field, according to rules pertaining to the usual pre-game toss. The captain of NFC team (the visiting team) will call the toss. After a three-minute intermission after the end of the regular game, play will continue by 15-minute periods with a two-minute intermission between each such overtime period with no halftime intermission. The teams will change goals between each period, there will be a two-minute warning at the end of each period.

Both teams must have the opportunity to possess the ball once during the extra period, unless the team that receives the opening kickoff scores a touchdown on its initial possession, in which case it is the winner. If the team that possesses the ball first scores a field goal on its initial possession, the other team shall have the opportunity to possess the ball. If (that team) scores a touchdown on its possession, it is the winner. If the score is tied after (both teams have a) possession, the team next scoring by any method shall be the winner.

OFFICIAL TIME — The scoreboard clock will be official.

OFFICIALS — There will be seven officials and five alternates appointed by the commissioner’s office.

TROPHY — The winning team receives permanent possession of the Vince Lombardi Trophy, a sterling silver trophy created by Tiffany & Company and presented annually to the winner of the Super Bowl. The trophy was named after the late coach Vince Lombardi of the twotime Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers before the 1971 Super Bowl. The trophy is a regulation-size silver football mounted in a kicking position on a pyramid-like stand of three concave sides. The trophy stands 203⁄4 inches tall, weighs 6.7 pounds and is valued more than $25,000. The words “Vince Lombardi” and “Super Bowl XLVIII” are engraved on the base along with the NFL shield.

ATTENDANCE — To date, 3,652,409 have attended Super Bowl games. The largest crowd was 103,985 at the 14th Super Bowl at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

— Associated Press

SUPER PERFORMANCES INDIVIDUAL RECORDS SCORING Most Points, Career — 48, Jerry Rice, San Francisco-Oakland, 4 games.

Most Points, Game — 18, Roger Craig, San Francisco vs. Miami, 1985; Jerry Rice, San Francisco vs. Denver, 1990 and vs. San Diego, 1995; Ricky Watters, San Francisco vs. San Diego, 1995; Terrell Davis, Denver vs. Green Bay, 1998.

Most Touchdowns, Career — 8, Jerry Rice, San Francisco-Oakland, 4 games.

Most Touchdowns, Game — 3, Roger Craig, San Francisco vs. Miami, 1985; Jerry Rice, San Francisco vs. Denver 1990 and vs. San Diego, 1995; Ricky Watters, San Francisco vs. San Diego, 1995; Terrell Davis, Denver vs. Green Bay, 1998.

Most PAT, Career — 13 Adam Vinatieri, New England-Indianapolis, (13 attempts, 5 games).

Most PAT, Game — 7, Mike Cofer, San Francisco vs. Denver, 1990 (8 attempts); Lin Elliott, Dallas vs. Buffalo, 1993 (7 attempts); Doug Brien, San Francisco vs. San Diego, 1995 (7 attempts).

Most Field Goals, Career — 7, Adam Vinatieri, New England-Indianapolis, (10 attempts, 5 games).

Most Field Goals, Game — 4, Don Chandler, Green Bay vs. Oakland, 1968; Ray Wersching, San Francisco vs.

Cincinnati, 1982.

Longest Field Goal — 54, Steve Christie, Buffalo vs. Dallas, 1994.

Most Safeties — 1, Dwight White, Pittsburgh vs. Minnesota, 1975; Reggie Harrison, Pittsburgh vs. Dallas, 1976; Henry Waechter, Chicago vs. New England, 1986; George Martin, New York vs. Denver, 1987; Bruce Smith, Buffalo vs. New York, 1991.

RUSHING Most Attempts, Career — 101, Franco Harris, Pittsburgh.

Most Attempts, Game — 38, John Riggins, Washington vs. Miami, 1983.

Most Yards Gained, Career — 354, Franco Harris, Pittsburgh, 4 games.

Most Yards Gained, Game — 204, Tim Smith, Washington vs. Denver, 1988.

Longest Gain — 75, Willie Parker, Pittsburgh vs. Seattle, 2006.

Most Touchdowns, Career — 5, Emmitt Smith, Dallas, 3 games.

Most Touchdowns, Game — 3, Terrell Davis, Denver vs. Green Bay, 1998.

PASSING Most Attempts, Career — 197, Tom Brady, New England, 5 games.

Most Attempts, Game — 58, Jim Kelly, Buffalo vs. Washington, 1992.

Most Completions, Career — 127, Tom Brady, New England, 5 games.

Most Completions, Game — 32, Tom Brady, New England vs. Carolina, 2004; Drew Brees, New Orleans vs.

Indianapolis, 2010.

Highest Completion Percentage, Career (minimum 40 attempts) — 70.0 (56-of-80), Troy Aikman, Dallas (3 games).

Highest Completion Percentage, Game — 88.0, Phil Simms, New York Giants vs. Denver, 1987.

Most Yards Gained, Career — 1,277, Tom Brady, New England, 5 games.

Most Yards Gained, Game — 414, Kurt

Associated Press

San Francisco Hall of Famers Joe Montana (16) and Jerry Rice accounted for many Super Bowl records in their day, with several of them coming in this 55-10 rout of Denver on Jan. 29, 1990, when Rice caught three of Montana’s five TD passes.

Warner, St. Louis vs. Tennessee, 2000.

Most Touchdowns, Career — 11, Joe Montana, San Francisco, 4 games.

Most Touchdowns, Game — 6, Steve Young, San Francisco vs. San Diego, 1995.

Most Had Intercepted, Career — 8, John Elway, Denver, 5 games.

Most Had Intercepted, Game — 5, Rich Gannon, Oakland vs. Tampa Bay, 2003.

Longest Completion — 85, Jake Delhomme (to Muhsin Muhammad), Carolina vs. New England, 2004.

RECEIVING Most Receptions, Career — 33, Jerry Rice, San Francisco-Oakland, 4 games.

Most Receptions, Game — 11, Dan Ross, Cincinnati vs. San Francisco, 1982; Jerry Rice, San Francisco vs.

Cincinnati, 1989; Deion Branch, New England vs. Philadelphia, 2005; Wes Welker, New England vs. N.Y. Giants, 2008.

Most Yards, Career — 589, Jerry Rice, San Francisco-Oakland, 4 games.

Most Yards, Game — 215, Jerry Rice, San Francisco vs. Cincinnati, 1989.

Most Touchdowns, Career — 8, Jerry Rice, San Francisco-Oakland, 4 games.

Most Touchdowns, Game — 3, Jerry Rice, San Francisco vs. Denver, 1990.

Longest Reception — 85, Muhsin Muhammad (from Jake Delhomme), Carolina vs. New England, 2004.

FUMBLES Most By, Career — 5, Roger Staubach, Dallas, 4 games.

Most By, Game — 3, Roger Staubach, Dallas vs. Pittsburgh, 1976; Jim Kelly, Buffalo vs. Washington, 1992; Frank Reich, Buffalo vs. Dallas, 1993.

INTERCEPTIONS Most By, Career — 3, Chuck Howley, Dallas; Rod Martin, Oakland; Larry

Brown, Dallas.

Most By, Game — 3, Rod Martin, Oakland vs. Philadelphia, 1981.

Longest Return — 100, James Harrison, Pittsburgh vs. Arizona, 2009.

TEAM GAME RECORDS SCORING Most Points — 55, San Francisco vs.

Denver, 1990.

Fewest Points — 3, Miami vs. Dallas, 1972.

Most Points, Both Teams — 75, San Francisco (49), San Diego (26), 1995.

Fewest Points, Both Teams — 21, Miami (14), Washington (7), 1973.

Largest Margin of Victory — 45 — San Francisco vs. Denver (55-10), 1990.

YARDS GAINED Most Net Yards Gained — 602, Washington vs. Denver, 1988.

Fewest Net Yards Gained — 119, Minnesota vs. Pittsburgh, 1975.

Most Rushing Yards — 280, Washington vs. Denver, 1988.

Fewest Rushing Yards — 7, New England vs. Chicago, 1986.

Most Passing Yards — 407, St. Louis vs. Tennessee, 2000.

Fewest Passing Yards — 35, Denver vs. Dallas, 1978.

FUMBLES Most Fumbles Both Teams — 12, Buffalo (8) vs. Dallas (4), 1993.

Most Fumbles, One Team — 8, Buffalo vs. Dallas, 1993.

Most Fumbles Lost — 5, Buffalo vs.

Dallas, 1993.

INTERCEPTIONS Most Interceptions By — 5, Tampa Bay vs. Oakland, 2003.

— Associated Press

Super Bowl Appearances Dallas ..........................................8 Pittsburgh....................................8 Denver ........................................7 New England................................7 San Francisco ............................6 Green Bay ..................................5 Miami ..........................................5 N.Y. Giants ..................................5 Oakland-LA Raiders ....................5 Washington ................................5 Buffalo ........................................4 Indianapolis-Baltimore ................4 Minnesota ..................................4 St. Louis-L.A. Rams ....................3 Baltimore ....................................2 Chicago ......................................2 Cincinnati ....................................2 Kansas City..................................2 Philadelphia ................................2 Seattle ........................................2 Arizona ........................................1 Atlanta ........................................1 Carolina ......................................1 New Orleans ................................1 N.Y. Jets ......................................1 San Diego ....................................1 Tampa Bay ..................................1 Tennessee....................................1 Cleveland ....................................0 Detroit ........................................0 Jacksonville ................................0 Houston ......................................0

12TH MAN GUIDE

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 2014 | TRI-CITY HERALD

Robinson grateful just to be playing ZACH BERMAN THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

J

ERSEY CITY, N.J. — Michael Robinson gave himself a deadline.

The Seattle Seahawks cut the former Penn State quarterback in August after a protracted illness caused him to lose more than 30 pounds. He was out of football, and made the determination that he would retire if he did sign a new contract by Week 10 or 11.

Robinson re-signed with Seattle on Oct. 22. After the Seahawks won the NFC Championship on Jan. 19, the 30-year-old fullback cried until he said no tears remained.

He cried because he was going to the Super Bowl. He cried because it was almost all taken away from him.

He cried because he’s football’s version of an old man, having aged from Penn State’s Orange Bowl-winning quarterback and Heisman Trophy finalist to a man aware of his professional mortality.

“I had a long year,” Robinson said.

“Being cut, being sick. Not really knowing the extent of the sickness. I didn’t know my kidneys were failing and my liver were failing. I just thought I was getting a bug.”

Robinson prepared for his fourth season in Seattle over the summer when his body had a negative reaction to an anti-inflammatory drug called Indocin. He felt sick after an Aug. 17 preseason against the Denver Broncos, who are the Seahawks’ opponent in the Super Bowl.

Robinson went to the hospital twice, and returned home both times. They could not figure out the problem. He kept losing weight.

When he returned to the hospital for a third time, a liver and kidney specialist came. Both organs were failing. He needed morphine to deal with the pain. That’s when Robinson knew it was more serious than the flu.

The illness kept Robinson from playing in the final two preseason games. He was due $2.5 million and was not yet close to returning. The Seahawks had two rookie fullbacks.

Robinson understood his roster spot was endangered. He did not play enough to keep his job, and the price did not warrant the patience.

“If you think there’s loyalty in

Associated Press

Seahawks fullback Michael Robinson overcame an offseason illness that cost him 30 pounds as well as being cut in August, coming back to the team in October and now headed to the Super Bowl.

this business,” Robinson said, “shame on you.”

He spent almost two months rebuilding his body and regaining his strength. Robinson’s listed weight is 240 pounds, and he dropped to 212 pounds during the illness. He has some off-field endeavors — he’s involved in the media, has a fresh food vending enterprise, and is a silent partner in a debt consolidation business.

“Probably there were moments when Michael thought he might not ever get another chance,” coach Pete Carroll said.

The New York Giants and Tennessee Titans showed interest, but Robinson did not like the fit in either place. He watched all the Seahawks games and maintained a strong reputation in the locker room. Rookie fullback Derrick Coleman’s Week 7 injury opened a spot, and Robinson’s NFL unemployment ended.

Robinson did not mind Mondays to Saturdays during the first seven weeks. Sundays infuriated him. He analyzed the game, but he knew he could still play. Yet if he was not offered a spot he liked, Robinson would have accepted moving on.

“I don’t want football to define me,”

Robinson said. “I’m a man, a Christian, a husband, a father, who just happens to play football. I would have been OK with it.”

He’s lasted longer than most players who change positions. Although Robinson played some running back at Penn State earlier in his career, he emerged as a star at quarterback in 2005.

Robinson earned Big Ten offensive player of the year honors while leading the Lions to an 11-1 finish, an Orange Bowl victory, and the No. 3 overall ranking. He was a dual threat, and he thought he would get a chance to play the position in the NFL. The San Francisco 49ers drafted Robinson in the fourth round of the 2006 draft and immediately moved him to running back. He became the starting fullback in 2008. His quarterbacking was in the past.

“When they’re paying your bills,” Robinson said, “you’ve got to go ahead and roll with it.”

When Robinson asked if he would have stayed at quarterback if he was drafted almost a decade later, he joked he might be a first-round pick.

Then he admitted he does not put much thought into it. Robinson has

carved a nice NFL career, including a Pro Bowl bid in 2011. He’s a key player in the locker room, with a stall next to star running back Marshawn Lynch’s and a voice that resonates among one of the NFL’s youngest rosters.

“He is a big factor on our team because we don’t have that many older guys and he really stands for the old guard,” Carroll said.

Robinson knows it’s a young man’s game. He’s on the wrong side of 30 and plays a position fighting extinction. The Super Bowl is Robinson’s final game under contract. He admitted Coleman is the Seahawks’ fullback of the future.

Those tears flowed because he’s still playing, but also because the end could soon be in sight. He still thinks he can produce in the NFL. His past five months already showed the vulnerability of a football player’s career.

“I’ve always known that we’re a play away from not playing anymore,” Robinson said. “I’ve always known you need a backup plan or something to go into when football’s over. I think I enjoy game days a lot more now, because I know how fast it could be taken away from you. So after that whole ordeal, it made it new to me again.”

11

COST OF BUSINESS Super Bowl Ad Rates 30-second commercial 2014 — $4,000,000 2013 — $3,800,000 2012 — $3,500,000 2011 — $3,100,000 2010 — $2,900,000 2009 — $2,800,000 2008 — $2,700,000 2007 — $2,600,000 2006 — $2,500,000 2005 — $2,400,000 2004 — $2,300,000 2003 — $2,100,000 2002 — $1,900,000 2001 — $2,100,000 2000 — $2,200,000 1999 — $1,600,000 1998 — $1,300,000 1997 — $1,200,000 1996 — $1,085,000 1995 — $1,150,000 1994 — $900,000 1993 — $850,000 1992 — $850,000 1991 — $800,000 1990 — $700,000 1989 — $675,000 1988 — $645,000 1987 — $600,000 1986 — $550,000 1985 — $525,000 1984 — $368,000 1983 — $400,000 1982 — $324,000 1981 — $275,000 1980 — $222,000 1979 — $185,000 1978 — $162,000 1977 — $125,000 1976 — $110,000 1975 — $107,000 1974 — $103,000 1973 — $88,000 1972 — $86,000 1971 — $72,000 1970 — $78,000 1969 — $55,000 1968 — $54,000 1967 — $42,000

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TRI-CITY HERALD | FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 2014

12TH MAN GUIDE

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Sherman doesn’t lack for motivation RANDY COVITZ THE KANSAS CITY STAR

JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman left something to the imagination when he arrived for Super Bowl XLVIII. No boasts. No bombast. No ripping the Seahawks’ opponent, the Denver Broncos or any of their receivers.

He wore a black T-shirt emblazoned with the words: “Motivational Slogan.”

“Everybody can fill in the blanks with whatever they got,” Sherman said of exactly what that meant.

Sherman filled the airwaves and notebooks and became a cause celebre for his comments and gestures disparaging San Francisco wide receiver Michael Crabtree after Sherman tipped away the 49ers’ last-gasp pass in the NFC championship game.

Sherman ignited a firestorm of commentary — criticized by some for his being too outspoken and for displaying the choke sign yet saluted by others for his unfiltered candor.

“In some people’s eyes, the comments overshadow the play because that’s what they were focusing on, but some people actually focused on the game, and they noticed the play and understood what kind of play it was,” said Sherman, who led the NFL with eight interceptions in 2013 and has 20 interceptions in just three NFL seasons.

“I’m just a guy trying to be the best, a guy who wants to help his team win and is a fiery competitor who goes out there and puts his life into his work and puts his everything and his passion into his work. A guy who’s come from humble beginnings and came from a place not a lot of people make it out of.

“I’m just trying to affect the world in a positive way.”

Indeed, Sherman plays with an attitude reflecting the rough neighborhood in which he was raised south of Los Angeles in Compton, forced to make the switch from wide receiver to cornerback at Stanford; and filled with the disappointment of being a fifth-round draft choice in 2011.

“I don’t think I’m a villain,” Sherman said. “I always say the old cliche, don’t judge a book by its cover, but they’re judging a book by its cover, they’re judging me ... during a game, right after a game, and they’re not judging me off of who I am. Now if I had got arrested 10 times, or committed all of these crimes, or got suspended for fighting off of the field and all of that, then I could accept being a villain, but I’ve done nothing villainous.”

Sherman’s 18-second postgame tirade pulled the curtain from the sterile interviews from

Associated Press

Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman gives a thumbs-up as he leaves team headquarters to catch a flight to Super Bowl XLVIII and the Denver Broncos.

podiums and in the locker room most fans see on television and exposed the raw emotion felt on the field.

Sherman had just come off the field, having made a play that sent his team to the Super Bowl, and unlike most games, didn’t have 10 minutes in the locker room to cool off before being interviewed.

“It was a good portrayal for people who wonder what goes on on the field, how crazy, how emotional ...” said former New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan, now an analyst for Fox Sports. “Do guys really talk to each other like that ... ?’ Now you have a good feel for what goes on ... how guys react, how hyper guys are, how aggressive guys are ... a lot of people were shocked, yes, but a lot of backlash unfairly came toward Richard because everybody wants to know what it’s like and wants to be on the inside, but when they get a glimpse of it, they get scared of it and they want to criticize the guy who did it.

“A lot of people who watched that game didn’t know Richard Sherman. They didn’t know that Richard Sherman talks a lot of smack. Before

the game, during the game, after the game ... so for the casual fan and got their first glimpse of Richard Sherman, it was shocking. For everyone else, that knows Richard Sherman, that’s Richard Sherman, doing what he does.

“Richard is a good guy, he’s a smart guy, and he’s an inspirational player to a lot of kids who are going through some bad situations and growing up in not the best neighborhoods, but he made it out ...”

Indeed, Sherman, who avoided the gang life and was a straight A student in high school, believes his zeal on the field and conduct off of it serves as a role model for the youngsters back home.

“I really hope it resonates a little more with them because there are no limits to what you can do,” Sherman said. “Regardless of how bizarre my story gets at times, especially in times like this, it’s still remarkable how a kid from Compton, a kid from humble beginnings, and the story can resonate from any kid coming from humble beginnings.

“Your circumstances don’t control your limits. You’re limitless, you’re a limitless person,

you’re limitless by your faith, your abilities, your trust in yourself, your hard work, you can do as much as you want to do. If you go to school and get good grades and work as hard as you can, if you don’t have the materials, the school books, the things like that, people can help you with that. There will always be people out there that want to help kids like that, and I’m trying to help as many as I can. But to not go out there and work as hard as you can and give yourself the best possible chance to be successful you’re doing yourself a disservice. That’s really what I want the kids to know.”

Sherman was surprised of how much media attention his comments received.

“If I would’ve really known it was going to blow up like that, I probably would’ve approached it differently just in terms of the way it took away from my teammates’ great games,” he said. “(Safety) Kam Chancellor played a fantastic football game. He had an interception and huge plays in the game and played almost a perfect ballgame. Marshawn Lynch ran for 100 yards plus and had a great touchdown run. (Linebacker) Bobby Wagner had 15 tackles, so many people played so many great games that you would think the stories would be about them. So that’s the only thing I feel kind of regretful about.”

Still, Sherman’s teammates have nothing but admiration for how he carries himself.

“Richard Sherman is an unbelievable football player,” Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson said. “He’s made all of the plays, he’s backed it up. I have tons of respect for him. He’s one of the most intelligent people you’ll ever meet. He plays the game of football with tons of passion, tons of fire.

“He has tremendous character, he really does.

He got fired up, and I guess you can call it a mistake or whatever. He’s literally one of the most intelligent people that you’ll ever meet and he’s an All-Pro player and he has tons of respect across the league. ” Sherman was on his best behavior when asked about Denver, and in particular, his expected matchup with wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, the Broncos’ leading receiver with 92 receptions, including 14 touchdowns.

Unlike the disparaging comments about Crabtree, Sherman rated Thomas as one of the top five receivers in the league.

“He’s made the big catches, he’s made a lot of runs after the catch and turned small plays into huge plays,” Sherman said. “He’s a great receiver and great competitor. It’s going to be a fun matchup between us because we’re both intense competitors and good friends.”

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SUPER BOWL POINT SPREADS Super Bowl point spread recap

Associated Press

Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas runs off the field with the ball after scoring on a 3-yard touchdown pass during the second half of the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots.

Broncos’ D. Thomas respects Sherman KIMBERLEY A. MARTIN (NEW YORK) NEWSDAY

JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Demaryius Thomas is more concerned with conserving energy than flapping his gums.

The soft-spoken Broncos wide receiver always has preferred to keep a low profile, especially in front of the camera. On the field is where Thomas speaks the loudest — through his playmaking ability, not his mouth.

“I play football, I don’t really talk,” he said in a low voice.

For several minutes aboard the Cornucopia Majesty ship Monday, reporters tried to get Thomas talking about the antics of Richard Sherman, the Sea hawks’ outspoken cornerback.

When asked if there’s a part of him that wants to shut up Sherman on Sunday during Super Bowl XLVIII, Thomas replied: “I ain’t going to say shut him up, but I’m going to try to go out there and make some plays so I won’t have anybody coming to me saying you got shut down by Sherman.”

In many ways, the 6-foot-3, 230-pound Thomas is the anti-Sherman — a little shy, and above all else, comfortable with letting

his play speak for itself. The fourth-year pro had 92 catches, 14 for touchdowns, second to the Saints’ Jimmy Graham (16).

Like many of his teammates, Thomas had nothing but good things to say about the Stanford graduate.

He praised the 6-3, 195-pound Sherman’s physicality, noting that the cornerback almost always is “in the right spot.”

“I’m sure he studies a lot and of course he’s talented,” said Thomas, whom Sherman recently called a top-five receiver. “I don’t know if he’s thinking and I don’t know if it’s talent, but he’s always around the ball.”

Although Thomas stressed he has the utmost respect for the Seattle cornerback, he pointed out that Sherman isn’t perfect.

“I kind of think everybody’s got a weakness,” Thomas said. “But you’re going to have to stay on your P’s and Q’s, ’cause he is great.”

Although most of Monday’s questions centered on Sherman, Thomas said he wasn’t even sure the two would be matched up against one another. But if they are, don’t expect a war of words to play out on the field at MetLife Stadium.

“It’s not about being boasty and making

sure everybody knows you’re making plays,” Thomas said. “It’s about trying to help the team out and win. So that’s my main thing: going out and doing my job and not having any problems.”

Sherman dominated the headlines last week for his on-field antics — namely, the choking gesture at 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick — and his rant directed at receiver Michael Crabtree after the NFC Championship Game. But when questioned about trash talking in the NFL, Thomas had some advice for young kids.

“Basically just walk away,” he said.

“There ain’t nothing but trouble. It’s a penalty, something you don’t need for your team, or either somebody can get hurt. So my main thing is, when that happens, you grab your teammates, walk away and play the next play.

“I understand some guys do it. But I think it’s pointless. I’m trying to keep my breath the whole time, I think the boasting just makes you tired. I just want to play football.”

So exactly how does he expect to exploit Sherman’s weaknesses?

Thomas laughed and said: “You’ll have to see on Sunday.”

WINNING LOSING TEAM TEAM LINE I (1967) Green Bay Kansas City GB -14 II (1968) Green Bay Oakland GB -131⁄2 III (1969) N.Y. Jets Baltimore Bal -18 IV (1970) Kansas City Minnesota Min -121⁄2 V (1971) Baltimore Dallas Dal -2 VI (1972) Dallas Miami Dal -6 VII (1973) Miami Washington Mia -1 VIII (1974) Miami Minnesota Mia -7 IX (1975) Pittsburgh Minnesota Pit -3 X (1976) Pittsburgh Dallas Pit -6 XI (1977) Oakland Minnesota Oak -41⁄2 XII (1978) Dallas Denver Dal -51⁄2 XIII (1979) Pittsburgh Dallas Pit -31⁄2 XIV (1980) Pittsburgh L.A. Rams Pit -101⁄2 XV (1981) Oakland Philadelphia Phi -3 XVI (1982) San Fran. Cincinnati SF -1 XVII (1983) Washington Miami Mia -3 XVIII (1984) L.A. Raiders Washington Was -21⁄2 XIX (1985) San Fran. Miami SF -3 XX (1986) Chicago New England Chi -10 XXI (1987) N.Y. Giants Denver NYG -91⁄2 XXII (1988) Washington Denver Den -3 XXIII (1989) San Fran. Cincinnati SF -7 XXIV (1990) San Fran. Denver SF -111⁄2 XXV (1991) N.Y. Giants Buffalo Buf -6 XXVI (1992) Washington Buffalo Was -7 XXVII (1993) Dallas Buffalo Dal -7 XXVIII (1994) Dallas Buffalo Dal -10 XXVIV (1995) San Fran. San Diego SF -19 XXX (1996) Dallas Pittsburgh Dal -13 XXXI (1997) Green Bay New England GB -14 XXXII (1998) Denver Green Bay GB -12 XXXIII (1999) Denver Atlanta Den -71⁄2 XXXIV (2000) St. Louis Tennessee StL -7 XXXV (’01) Baltimore N.Y. Giants Bal -3 XXXVI (’02) N.England St. Louis StL -14 XXXVII (’03) Tampa Bay Oakland Oak -31⁄2 XXXVIII(’04)New England Carolina NE -7 XXXIX (’05) New England Philadelphia NE -7 XL (2006) Pittsburgh Seattle Pit -41⁄2 XLI (2007) Indianapolis Chicago Ind -61⁄2 XLII (2008) N.Y. Giants New England NE -12 XLIII (2009) Pittsburgh Arziona Pit -61⁄2 XLIV (2010) New Orleans Indianapolis Ind -5 XLV (2011) Green Bay Pittsburgh GB -3 XLVI (2012) N.Y. Giants New England NE -3 XLVII (2013)Baltimore San Fran.

SF -4

SPREAD FINAL WINNER SCORE Green Bay GB 35-10 Green Bay GB 33-14 N.Y. Jets NY 16-7 Kansas City KC 23-7 Baltimore Bal 16-13 Dallas Dal 24-3 Miami Mia 14-7 Miami Mia 24-7 Pittsburgh Pit 16-6 Dallas Pit 21-17 Oakland Oak 32-14 Dallas Dal 27-10 Pittsburgh Pit 35-31 Pittsburgh Pit 31-19 Oakland Oak 27-10 San Fran. SF 26-21 Wash.

Was 27-17 L.A. Raiders LA 38-9 San Fran. SF 38-16 Chicago Chi 46-10 N.Y. Giants NY 39-20 Wash.

Was 42-10 Cincinnati SF 20-16 San Fran. SF 55-10 N.Y. Giants NY 20-19 Wash.

Was 37-24 Dallas Dal 52-17 Dallas Dal 30-13 San Fran. SF 49-26 Pittsburgh Dal 27-17 Tie GB 35-21 Denver Den 31-24 Denver Den 34-19 Tie StL 23-16 Baltimore Bal 34-7 N. England NE 20-17 Tampa Bay TB 48-21 Carolina NE 32-29 Philadelphia NE 24-21 Pittsburgh Pit 21-10 Indy Ind 29-17 N.Y. Giants NY 17-14 Arizona Pit 27-23 New OrleansNO 31-17 Green Bay GB 31-25 N.Y. Giants NY 21-17 Baltimore Bal 34-31

BRING SOME MITTENS Coldest Outdoor Super Bowls Date City......................................Temp Jan. 16, 1972 New Orleans............................39 Jan. 12, 1975 New Orleans............................46 Jan. 13, 1974 Houston ..................................50 Jan. 20, 1985 Stanford..................................53 Jan. 18, 1976 Miami ......................................57

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Seahawks coach always keeping busy Carroll learned to play harmonica to avoid wasting down time TOM ROCK NEWSDAY

B

efore he was the coach who tweets, he was the coach who toots.

That was Pete Carroll’s persona during his five years with the Jets, four as defensive coordinator and one as head coach. While most NFL taskmasters roam the hallways of their buildings with a scowl, with agita, with a dyspeptic grimace, Carroll strolled Weeb Ewbank Hall on Hofstra’s campus with ... a harmonica.

It became, unintentionally, a symbol of his philosophy.

“The harmonica was always in his hand,” former Jets defensive lineman Jeff Lageman recalled for Newsday this past week.

Carroll and defensive line coach Greg Robinson drove to the team’s facility together in those days, and it wasn’t a short trip. Carroll was never good at doing nothing.

“Pete, not wanting to waste down time, actually taught himself how to play the harmonica going back and forth to work,” Lageman said. “He loves music, so he taught himself how to play the harmonica. He was finding a way to utilize that time in a positive way. That’s Pete.”

Just have fun It’s easy for Carroll to be that way now. He’s built the Seahawks into a contender in his own image, a team that loves to compete and have fun.

But even in the infancy of his headcoaching days, when it was hard to find optimism with the Jets or when he was sandwiched between the dictatorial coaching regimes of Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick in New England, his former players recall an energy that was infectious and everpresent.

Like string theory, Carroll was constantly vibrating and creating life.

“He was the most energetic coach I had in my 11-year career,” former Jets

Associated Press

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll smiles during media day for Super Bowl XLVIII in Newark, N.J.

cornerback Victor Green said.

NFL Network analyst Willie McGinest, who played for Carroll with the Patriots, said, “Once you talk to Pete, once you’re around him, you feel the energy, the enthusiasm, his knowledge of the game.”

Added Lageman: “When Pete walked into a room, the energy went up ... I can tell you in my 10-year career, I never had more fun than I did playing for Pete.”

He may come across as quirky, eccentric and unorthodox — he’s one of the few NFL head coaches who has an active Twitter feed — but it gets a response from players. Mostly good.

But not always.

A basket case One of the ways that personality manifested itself was in what Jets players found when they took the field for the start of 1994 training camp, their only one under Carroll.

As they went outside the weight room, they found that their first-year head coach, then only 42, had installed a pickup basketball court.

Some who had played under Carroll on the Jets’ defense knew his affinity for hoops. He often would participate in offseason games with players at Hofstra’s gym. But to put a court in the middle of training camp?

“That was a changeup,” Green said

with a chuckle. “I don’t know if there is any head coach who will have a basketball goal set up at training camp. We’re a football team, not a basketball team.”

“It’s the little things,” former Jets wide receiver Rob Carpenter said of Carroll’s tactics. “Old-school coaches might call it unorthodox, but he just does that to take the edge off guys every now and then.”

It was, the players remembered, all about competition. That’s what Carroll wanted to instill in everything he did. Even the harmonica-playing. It was, Lageman reflected, a challenge within.

“Instead of the Western way, it’s more of an Eastern philosophy,” Lageman said, comparing Carroll’s Zen to Phil Jackson’s. “You compete within. Competition is not always external. ... Western philosophy is: What’s the end result? Did you kill the dragon? Eastern philosophy is: It’s not about the end result, it’s about the journey and getting to that point.”

Not everyone was on board with that with the Jets or the Patriots.

“If you were a high-paid guy, you expected to play,” Carpenter said of the Jets’ culture under Bruce Coslet, who was fired 20 years ago this month and replaced by Carroll. “But that’s not Pete’s thing. I’m sure it did rub a few guys the wrong way.”

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“We had a lot of veterans,” Green said of the 1994 squad, which included eight players with at least 10 years of NFL experience, among them Boomer Esiason, Art Monk and Ronnie Lott. “I think we had too many veterans for a young guy like Pete.”

Esiason was one of the few veterans who was enamored of Carroll.

“He was a great coach to play for,” the CBS analyst said.

Carroll’s time with the Jets was undone by another veteran quarterback: Dan Marino. The Jets built a 24-6 lead over the Dolphins in a lateseason game and a win would have tied them for first in the AFC East at 7-5. But Marino’s fake spike — a play with about 30 seconds remaining in which he yelled “Clock! Clock!

Clock!” but instead hooked up with Mark Ingram for their fourth touchdown pass of the game — gave Miami a stunning 28-24 victory, and the Jets didn’t win another game that season.

They finished 6-10.

“Given what happened toward the end of that season with the spike game and everything, I never got a chance to experience (Carroll as a head coach) past that year,” Esiason said, “which was unfortunate for me.”

With the Patriots Carroll ran into similar resistance in New England. He made the playoffs in the first two of his three seasons and never finished below .500 but could not push the team deep into the postseason.

“I just don’t think we had enough guys buying into it,” McGinest said.

“If they did, I think we would have been a much better football team.”

Tedy Bruschi, now an ESPN analyst, was one of those young Patriots players who did buy in. The narrative often is presented that Belichick arrived in New England in 2000 and turned the franchise around, winning the Super Bowl after the 2001 season. But Bruschi has his own opinion on that.

“I really think that Pete had a direct result on the success we had after he left,” he said. “We had key players develop under his tutelage in those three years, three hidden years that people forget about . . . If Pete had one more year, he would have turned it around.”

They love football After he was fired from an NFL head-coaching job for the second time in six seasons — he was a defensive coordinator for the 49ers for two seasons between his tenures with the Jets and Patriots — Carroll took his enthusiasm and bubbly outlook to the place where it would be most likely to succeed: college.

He was hired by Southern California and quickly found that his philosophies resonated much better with younger players. He won the AP national championships in the 2003 and 2004 seasons, won the BCS championship in the 2004 season and lost in the BCS final in the 2005 season. His Trojans spent a record 33 consecutive weeks at No. 1.

Perhaps it was a sense of unfinished business in the NFL, or maybe it was the looming NCAA sanctions coming for USC, but Carroll returned to the professional ranks in 2010 as head coach of the Seahawks. This time he also had the title of vice president of football operations. He’d be able to shape the roster.

“In Seattle, he’s got a young, talented group of guys,” McGinest said.

“He’s able to build a team the way he wanted to construct a team. I think everything kind of fell together for him.”

After two 7-9 seasons, the Seahawks went 11-5 last season and won a playoff game. This season, they won the NFC West title and earned the top seed in the conference tournament. He is coaching in the Super Bowl, and he’ll be able to do it in the area where his head-coaching career began.

“I think Seattle is a picture of what Pete wanted to build in New England if he had more time and possibly more control to have the final say on a lot of matters,” Bruschi said.

Unlike that veteran-laden Jets team he coached, the 2013 Seahawks do not have any players with 10 or more years of NFL experience. Only seven players have been in the league for more than seven seasons. The second-oldest coach in the league, now 62, has surrounded himself with the fourth-youngest team. Yet they all seem to share that exuberance of youth.

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Bennett enjoys breakout season with Seahawks

Playing the enforcer role Chancellor intimidating but plays within the rules

FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM

TIM BOOTH ASSOCIATED PRESS

J

ERSEY CITY, N.J. — Kam Chancellor is imposing. He’s a strong safety that looks like he should be playing linebacker and the hardest hitter in the best secondary in the NFL. What is setting Chancellor apart is his ability to still be intimidating but do it within the framework of the NFL wanting to protect defenseless offensive players.

It’s a tricky line and one that Chancellor struggled with earlier in his career. But he’s found a way to accomplish the task of being an enforcer minus the penalties, both on the field and in the bank account.

“I don’t think it’s a matter of adjusting. It’s just learning how to tackle, the proper technique to tackle,” Chancellor said. “Once you learn the proper technique to tackle you can get your feet under you and you can explode through anybody.”

His play is being recognized outside of just Seattle. He was Pro Bowl selection and a second-team All-Pro this season. Chancellor was also the first member of Seattle’s secondary to be locked up long term when he signed a four-year extension last April.

“He’s been the best player on our defense the whole season I think,” teammate Michael Bennett said. “I think he’s one of the best players in the NFL. I’m surprised he’s not up for defensive player of the year. When he tackles, he’s just amazing.”

Chancellor’s ability to be imposing was evident on two plays in the NFC championship game against San Francisco. In the third quarter, Chancellor leveled tight end Vernon Davis on a short pass that caused an incompletion. The form was perfect, with Chancellor’s helmet at the level of Davis’ midsection and his shoulder pads planted on his chest.

Fast forward to the fourth quarter and San Francisco’s final drive. Facing a third-and-2, Colin Kaepernick threw a pass for Michael Crabtree on a quick slant. As Crabtree cut for the middle, Chancellor was there waiting. Not sur-

“You do want long-term deals, but I don’t think about it as much as some people think I think about it,” Bennett said.

“I think about winning the game. I’m taking it one game at a time, taking care of this moment and playing for this team.”

CHAREAN WILLIAMS

Associated Press

New Orleans Saints running back Khiry Robinson runs against Seattle Seahawks strong safety Kam Chancellor, right, and cornerback Richard Sherman, hidden, during their NFC divisional playoff NFL football game in Seattle on Jan. 11.

prisingly, Crabtree’s arms didn’t quite fully extend and he let the pass go incomplete.

“I know if I was coming across the middle about to catch a ball I would be looking for 31,” Bennett said.

Chancellor’s schooling came from one of the hardest hitters in the NFL. As a rookie, he followed around veteran Lawyer Milloy and attempted to glean every bit of experience the 15-year veteran was trying to pass on to the next generation of strong safeties.

What neither knew at the time was a shift toward player safety that changed how all defensive players — and safeties especially — would play. No longer would certain hits be tolerated, let alone celebrated. Changes had to be made “Kam has really, really complied.

He’s taken it to heart,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. “The early fines got his attention, but really he just wanted to be able to find a way to play the game really well and he was willing. He wasn’t hard headed about it at all. He went about it with kind of a sense that I’m kind of going to really adjust so that I can do this well and do it right and he’s done all of that and the exciting part of it is he’s maintained his physical

style and he’s a great hitter and he’s always looking for big opportunities.

He’s been able to do that.”

Chancellor was flagged four times this season for personal fouls. Twice he was penalized for being the last guy into the pile on a running play. The first came in the season opener against Carolina and the second in the regular season finale against St. Louis. He was also called for facemask in Week 16.

The only time during the regular season in 47 passes thrown his way — according to STATS, Inc. — that Chancellor was flagged for hitting a defenseless receiver came in Week 15 against the New York Giants on a hit that didn’t even knock wide receiver Jerrel Jernigan to the turf.

Aside from the big hits, Chancellor has become better in coverage. He was partly responsible for Seattle shutting down tight ends Davis and Jimmy Graham on multiple occasions this season.

He’s likely to get time on yet another athletic tight end on Sunday with Denver’s Julius Thomas having become a favorite target of Peyton Manning.

“The best way to deal with a hard hitting safety is to try not to let him hit you. I’m ready for a physical game, I’m anticipating it,” Thomas said.

JERSEY CITY, N.J. — With a torn rotator cuff, Michael Bennett couldn’t get the long-term deal he wanted last offseason. So he signed a one-year, $4.8 million contract with the Seahawks.

The defensive lineman has earned every penny and will make plenty more in the offseason when he again becomes a free agent.

“I don’t think about the money, because it’s not in my account,” Bennett said Monday of the notion that he’s played himself into a huge contract.

The former Texas A&M standout finally has broken out of his younger brother’s shadow.

While Martellus Bennett was a free agent two years in a row, getting a one-year, $2.5 million deal with the Giants before agreeing to a four-year, $20 million deal with the Bears this past off-season.

Michael Bennett had 31 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 25 quarterback hits, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a touchdown in the regular season.

“Michael’s been an exceptional player,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “He’s had a great season for us. My only regret is that we didn’t use him enough early. He has tremendous versatility, plays inside and outside. He’s got a great motor and great savvy about him. He doesn’t do everything in an orthodox manner, but he’s very oriented. He has a great feel for the game and makes great decisions in the game, so we give him a bit of latitude in that regard so he can make the plays he’s capable of making.”

Bennett insists he wants to stay in Seattle, and the Seahawks likely don’t want to let him go. He has nine tackles, 1.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in two playoff games.

Carroll gets it right Seahawks coach Pete Carroll didn’t take long to get himself in trouble with the locals. During his first press conference Sunday, the former Jets coach said how glad he was to be back in “New York.”

A local politician, Rich Boggiano, corrected Carroll, reminding the coach he was in New Jersey.

“You’re right. That’s my bad,” Carroll said Sunday. “I’m talking to a bunch of people on the West Coast who don’t care about that, but you’re right. It’s great to be here, and we’re going to be playing in New Jersey as well.

“Even when you’re at the Jets, we were the New York Jets but we were playing in New Jersey, so I understand. I appreciate that. I’m sorry I didn’t straighten that out for you.”

So Carroll opened his Monday press conference with a greeting that drew laughter: “First, I’d like to say it’s really great to be here in New Jersey.”

Carroll, 62, was fired after one season with the Jets, going 6-10 in 1994. He proved himself with two national championships at USC and now has the Seahawks in the Super Bowl.

“Unfortunately, it didn’t last very long, but it still was a great experience, and I remember it well,” Carroll said of his time with the Jets.

“I’m really proud to come back here and coach in a game like this, this status, in places we once lived and worked. It’s a special honor to do that.”

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Manning spreads the wealth for Broncos ‘Legion of Boom’ has to face 5 go-to receivers ARNIE STAPLETON ASSOCIATED PRESS

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NGLEWOOD, Colo. — Seattle’s “Legion of Boom” secondary led by All-Pros Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas may be able to slow down, say, Demaryius Thomas, in the Super Bowl. That doesn’t mean Peyton Manning will have to tap the brakes on Denver’s Lamborghini offense.

Manning doesn’t have just one goto receiver like most quarterbacks.

He has five.

The Seahawks will match up the NFL’s top pass defense this season against the best passing offense of all time in the Super Bowl at East Rutherford, N.J. “That’s the matchup everybody is going to be talking about, Peyton Manning vs. the Legion of Boom,” Hall of Famer and Fox color analyst Troy Aikman said. “I’m excited to see it. That’s why I spoke about how disappointing it would be if conditions keep that part of it from happening the way we’d like to see because of the impact the weather may have on the passing game.”

Even if wintry weather curtails his passing prowess, Manning can downshift as easily as he can dial up a deep pass. With the bunch formations and picks and rubs that got under Bill Belichick’s skin, the turbo-charged Broncos have morphed into a yardchewing, clock-eating machine in the playoffs.

With Manning dinking and dunking his way downfield, Denver’s three most time-consuming drives of the season have all come in the past two weeks, 7-minute masterpieces that rendered Philip Rivers and Tom Brady short-tempered sideline spectators to Manning’s magic.

He simply has more outlets than defenses have answers for.

“It’s hard to catch a break with him, catch a tendency or something that you can jump,” Sherman said of Manning, who sports a 40-1 TD-to-

Denver Broncos wide receiver Wes Welker catches a pass for a touchdown against the San Diego Chargers in the second quarter of the AFC division playoff game on Jan. 12 in Denver.

Welker is one of the key cogs for the highest-scoring offense in the Super Bowl era.

Associated Press

interception ratio in the red zone this season, including the playoffs — and that one interception bounced off his receiver’s chest, no less.

Of all the records Manning and the Broncos set this season, the one that stands out to Denver wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert is this: No team in NFL history ever had five players reach the end zone 10 or more times until Demaryius Thomas (14), Knowshon Moreno (13), Julius Thomas (12), Eric Decker (11) and Wes Welker (10) did it this season.

“That tells you about the players we have on our team, the way Peyton spreads the ball out, how anybody can score at any given time,” Tolbert said.

No other team has ever had more than three players hit double-digit TDs. This quintet helped the Broncos break the once-unfathomable 600-point barrier and each of them also caught 60 or more passes. No team had ever had five players do that before, either.

SUCCESS

Manning says his unprecedented 55 TD passes and 5,477 yards through the air are only temporary records which will be surpassed by Brady or Drew Brees in no time — or by any number of other quarterbacks if owners get their way and expand the regular season to 18 games. But Tolbert thinks the 5-10 guys have nothing to sweat.

The beauty of the Broncos’ offense is in its balance.

Manning targeted his three starting receivers almost identically: Demaryius Thomas (8.87 times a game), Welker (8.54), Decker (8.5).

Julius Thomas, whose dozen scores broke Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe’s club record for tight ends, was targeted 6.42 times per game.

Take one away and another will burn you.

“Peyton doesn’t discriminate,” Decker said.

“He doesn’t force passes,” Demaryius Thomas said.

“He just takes what the defense gives him,” said Julius Thomas, the

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power forward-turned-tight end who caught 65 passes for 788 yards after catching just one pass in his first two seasons.

“He just goes down the line and finds whoever is singled up,” offensive coordinator Adam Gase said.

“Or whoever’s wide open,” suggested backup tight end Jacob Tamme, who was left all alone for a TD in Denver’s win over New England last week.

“Yeah, that’s the truth, we’ve got a lot of weapons on our offense,” said fellow fill-in Bubba Caldwell, who caught two TD passes against San Diego last month when Welker was sidelined. “If you shut down one guy, we’ve got like four or five other guys that we can go to at any other time.”

The common thread among Manning’s many targets, including Moreno, who had three TD catches to go with his 10 TD runs, is a refreshing unselfishness in an age where prima donnas so often demand passes and attention.

“To be an outstanding team, you

have to be selfless, not selfish,” Broncos coach John Fox said. “I think that speaks to the character of those guys in that room. They don’t get all pouty about things like that.”

Manning wouldn’t put up with such shenanigans anyway.

“The only thing that makes all of us happy is if we win games, whether that’s blocking all day and having zero catches or whatever it is,” Welker said.

That’s what Decker did before breaking out for eight TDs in December, his blocks on screens springing Demaryius Thomas, who led the league’s receivers with 718 yards after the catch.

“Our whole group is like that and Decker knows that at any point in time that day can be your day,” Tolbert said. “Like when we went to Kansas City, I mean, who’d have thought he’d have four touchdowns?

But any day a guy can go out there, it can be a receiver, it can be a tight end, it can be a running back, any day can be your day.”

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Seahawks expecting distractions, nerves TOM ROCK NEWSDAY

Seattle Seahawks offensive guard James Carpenter stretches during warmups in the Seahawks’ indoor facility before practice earlier this month in Renton. Carpenter is hoping to be on the field for the Super Bowl.

Associated Press

O-line depends on practice, opponent Coach says competition for spots is very close TODD DYBAS THE NEWS TRIBUNE

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he Seahawks’ coaching staff has no fear of the unorthodox. That’s why James Carpenter was crouched and ready for the first snap of the NFC title game a week after being inactive. It’s also why he was on the bench in the first place.

The Seahawks sat down their firstround pick from 2011 for the divisionalround playoff game against the New Orleans Saints. In his place, rookie Michael Bowie played left guard. It was Bowie’s first start at the position and the third different spot on the line he has started at this year.

That left Carpenter watching from the sideline.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said Bowie started at left guard against New Orleans because he won the competition for the spot during the two weeks of practice going into the game. Bowie had previously started at right tackle (seven games for the injured Breno Giacomini) and right guard (one game for the

injured J.R. Sweezy).

Carpenter, who had moved from the starter at left guard, to shared duty at the spot with Paul McQuistan, said he was disappointed, as anyone would be.

“It was very difficult; any player doesn’t want to be inactive,” Carpenter said. “I just came to work and all week just tried to help the team.”

Bowie received positive reviews from Carroll for his work. Which made replacing him with the Carpenter/McQuistan combo against the 49ers — each played 50 percent of the offensive snaps — as surprising as Carpenter being inactive the week before.

“As we prepared for (the 49ers) we had intended ... to keep the competition open,” Carroll said. “As we looked at just the way things were coming together, we made a coaches’ decision that it might be better in this instance to go with the guys that have been playing a little bit more and experienced, and keep the rotation with Paul and Carp playing. It worked out fine for us, you know.”

Carroll pointed out that doesn’t mean Bowie is out of the mix. On the contrary, he’ll be competing for playing time in the Super Bowl.

“It’s one of the deals where it’s so close; the competition is so keen that it could go either way,” Carroll said.

Carpenter also is viewed as a capable run blocker — crucial against San Francisco — and less so as a pass blocker. The Seahawks will always have a run-first emphasis and face a Denver defense during Super Bowl XLVIII which was eighth against the rush and 27th against the pass in the regular season. How the Seahawks interpret that in relation to the line is up in the air.

The shifting of Carpenter and Bowie was not the only offensive line surprise the Seahawks presented during the first two games of the playoffs.

Bowie’s fellow rookie, Alvin Bailey, played 16 snaps as the extra tight end against San Francisco. He did not play offense against New Orleans. The Seahawks went to a version of a “jumbo” formation to counter the 49ers’ skilled outside linebackers.

During the Week 14 loss at San Francisco, Bailey played just one offensive snap.

“Those guys are huge and long and effective, and we thought what might give us a little bit of an edge (is) they’re not used to playing guys that are 320 pounds coming at them,” Carroll said.

At this point it’s clear what the Seahawks did one week on the offensive line is not a predictor of next week. Even in the Super Bowl.

RENTON — Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin was asked if he will be nervous when he takes the field Sunday for the Super Bowl.

“Probably not,” he said from the stage at the Seahawks’ training center, speaking out to the assembled reporters.

“I’m more nervous up here with you all than I am out there.”

While the Seahawks are installing their gameplan for the game against the Broncos, they are also bracing for what will be the biggest media crush of their lives. Not only is this the Super Bowl, but it’s in America’s media capital.

Those sleepy news conferences in the bucolic Northwest where players are fed doughnuts from reporters are about to become a thing of the past.

“I really don’t know what to expect,” safety Kam Chancellor said. “I know there are going to be tons of media and tons of people out there. The fans are going to be out there.”

While the Seahawks have no active players with Super Bowl experience — the first team to compete in the game with such a distinction since the 1990 Bills — at least one of them was in New Orleans last year for the game between the Ravens and 49ers. Quarterback Russell Wilson said on Wednesday that he wanted to “get a feel” for the game and the atmosphere, just in case he and the Seahawks were to play in the next one.

“And sure enough,” he said, “we are.”

That may not be enough to prepare the Seahawks for what they are heading towards.

“There are going to be distractions,” Baldwin said. “This is the biggest game of our

lives, the Super Bowl, but at the same time going back to it we have to stay away from those distractions. Don’t think about, just allow ourselves to enjoy the moment and play the game of football that we’ve been playing since we were six years old.”

Thomas: N.Y. not safe Earl Thomas has a funny video on his website in which he offers citizens of Seattle “Free Safety Advice,” such as looking both ways before crossing the street, changing passwords for email accounts and don’t talk to strangers.

The joke, of course, is that Thomas is an All-Pro free safety for the Seahawks.

But when it comes to the Super Bowl, Seattle’s most famous crossing guard took a shot at the Big Apple as fans prepare to flock there for the big game.

“The safety advice,” he said, “stay here in Seattle.”

Hawk talk Thomas was the first draft pick Pete Carroll made with the Seahawks in 2010. Fellow safety Chancellor was taken later in the same draft.

Together they have become the foundation for the defense.

“We came in as competitors, young and probably dumb, but at the same time we understood that we could make a change and it’s definitely paying off for us,” Thomas said ...

Chancellor said the Seahawks do not have formal tip drills for the secondary, but at least once a week a play comes along in practice in which Richard Sherman will bat a pass towards another defender like he did against the Giants in December and against the 49ers in the NFC title game. “We always say when you run to the ball, good things happen,” Chancellor said.

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’Tis better to kick than receive in coin-toss strategy shift ERIK MATUSZEWSKI BLOOMBERG NEWS

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EW YORK — Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos’ record-setting offense probably won’t take the football first in the Super Bowl if they win the game-opening coin toss.

In the first 42 Super Bowls, the team that won the toss got the game’s opening possession.

That changed in 2008, when the National Football League gave teams that won the flip the option to defer their kick-or-receive decision to the second half.

Since that rule change, teams have increasingly chosen to defer after winning the coin toss, with the percentages climbing to 65 percent this year from 38 percent in 2008. In four of the past five Super Bowls, the team that’s won the flip has deferred, taking the opening possession of the second half instead of the first half.

“What a lot of coaches want to do is come out in the second half with the ball, that way they have more information,” said former Baltimore Ravens coach Brian Billick, who won the Super Bowl after the 2000 season and is now an NFL analyst for NFL Network. “If I would have had that rule, I would have always deferred.”

Billick’s last season as an NFL coach was in 2007, the year before the league’s competition committee approved the rule change to allow deferrals as in college and high school football.

Before that, the options were to kick or receive.

Teams winning the coin toss would always opt to receive the opening kickoff because the loser would have the same choice to start the second half.

“If you chose to kick off, you have to remember the other team got the first choice in the second half, so they would always choose to receive,” said former NFL vice president of officiating Mike Pereira, who is now a rules analyst for Fox Sports. “So you could end up kicking off in both halves. This was a rule change that I pushed for. I couldn’t propose it myself, but to me it made sense.”

After the rule was implemented in 2008, 97 of 256 teams winning the toss that season deferred their choice to the second half. The number rose to 141 of 256 in 2012 and to 166 this year, according to statistics provided by the NFL. Those teams had an 88-78 record this season for a .530 winning percentage.

The trend has continued this postseason, whether it’s an effort by coaches to make an early defensive statement, a decision based on weather, or to try to get more second-half possessions when NFL scoring is at an all-time high. NFL games averaged a record 46.8 points this season, which ends with the Feb. 2 Super Bowl.

Of the 10 games played this postseason, eight teams winning the kickoff have deferred. The two clubs that won the coin toss and chose to receive the opening kickoff — the Indianapolis Colts against the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs against the Colts — both lost.

In last week’s AFC championship game, when Denver beat the Patriots 26-16, the Broncos won the toss and deferred to the second half.

The strategy was effective. Denver opened a 13-3 halftime lead that included a field goal with 25 seconds left in the second quarter. The Broncos received the second-half kickoff and put together a 14-play, 90-yard touchdown drive that used almost half of the 15-minute third

quarter. Manning said knowing the Broncos would receive the second-half kickoff helped with the decision to kick a field goal on a 4thand-1 play in the final seconds of the second quarter.

“That was good just to get points on that possession,” said Manning, who set NFL season records with 5,477 passing yards and 55 touchdowns in 2013. “We knew we were getting the ball back first series of second half. To keep Tom Brady on the sidelines is a good thing.”

While the San Francisco 49ers lost to the Seahawks 23-17 in last week’s NFC championship game, they deferred after winning the coin flip and gained the early momentum by putting their defense, third-best in the NFL, on the field first. San Francisco All-Pro defensive end Aldon Smith forced a fumble by Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson on the first play from scrimmage, helping to quiet the crowd of more than 68,000 at CenturyLink Field in Seattle.

“A more defensive-minded coach typically will defer,” Billick said in a telephone interview from his home in Baltimore. “There’s also something to be said for having the ball to start the second half where you can react to how the game has unfolded. But weather is an element as well because it might affect the direction I’m going in the fourth quarter. You get to choose to go with or against the wind at the end of the game.”

That might be even more of a factor in the Super Bowl, which is being held outside in a cold-weather site for the first time. The weather at kickoff may be below freezing at MetLife Stadium, a venue with a reputation for gusting winds.

The team without the option to kick off or receive to start the second half would get the second choice, which is deciding which goal to defend. That choice could be dictated by weather, such as extremely strong winds, and might be one of the few reasons a team winning the coin toss would elect to receive the opening kickoff — they could decide which way their offense is going in the fourth quarter.

“But if the weather gets really severe and Denver elected to receive in the first half, Seattle, when it gets the second-half choice, could say, ‘We want this goal,’ so they could ensure they have the wind in the fourth quarter,” Pereira said by phone. “So Denver would receive twice.”

Teams that defer in the Super Bowl have a 22 record since 2008, including Baltimore’s 34-31 win over the 49ers last season. Since the deferral rule was instituted, the only team to win the coin toss in the Super Bowl and choose to receive was the New Orleans Saints after the 2009 season. The Saints had the NFL’s highestscoring offense that season, yet were forced to punt after three plays on their opening possession in Miami and fell behind 10-0 to the Colts before scoring 31 of the next 38 points to win.

While deferrals have climbed 27 percent in the six years the rule has been around, Pereira said he expects it to eventually reach about 90 percent.

“I do think we’ll get there in some point in time because more and more young coaches are getting in the league and see the opportunity to end up with the ball two times in a row,” Pereira said. “It doesn’t guarantee you, certainly, but the chance to have the ball in your hands and score at the end of the first half and then get the ball at the start of the second half is very attractive.”

Some of the great moments in media day history PAUL NEWBERRY ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK — It’s the Super Bowl freak show.

As the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks prepare to play the Super Bowl, here’s a look at some of the great and not-so-great moments in media day history:

Mr. Ed vs. the Cross-Dresser Atlanta Falcons cornerback Ray Buchanan showed up for media day in South Florida wearing a silver-studded dog collar, emphasizing the underdog role his team had against the defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos.

Things really picked up a couple of days later — not media day, technically, but we’ll let it slide — when Buchanan got into it with the mouthiest of the Broncos, star tight end Shannon Sharpe. “That’s an ugly dude,” Buchanan said.

“You can’t tell me he doesn’t look like Mr. Ed.” It didn’t take long for those comments to be relayed to Sharpe. “Tell Ray to put the eyeliner, the lipstick and the high heels away. I’m not saying he’s a cross-dresser; that’s just what I heard.”

Will you marry me, 2008 Once a serious endeavor, media day is now a forum for credentialed “media” such as Ines Gomez Mont. The entertainment reporter for Mexico’s TV Azteca showed up in Glendale, Ariz., wearing a scanty

white wedding dress and towering red pumps. She spent the next two hours trying to persuade someone, anyone, to accept her marriage proposal.

“I’m in love with you,” she told New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, adding, “I’m the real Miss Brady.” The quarterback didn’t miss a beat. “I’ve got a few Miss Bradys in my life,” he said. At the time, Brady was dating Brazilian model Gisele Bundchen (now his wife) after fathering a child with former girlfriend Bridget Moynahan.

Clearly, Brady needed no more complications in his life.

Better watch what you say, 2013 Every player is warned not to say anything on media day that will get them in trouble.

San Francisco 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver failed to heed that advice during a oneon-one interview with Artie Lange. The comedian asked Culliver whether he would consider pursuing a gay man.

“I don’t do the gay guys,” Culliver replied. “Ain’t got no gay people on the team. They gotta get up outta here if they do. Can’t be with that sweet stuff.” Two days later, Culliver spent his time with the media apologizing profusely.

Groundbreaking quarterback Washington’s Doug Williams became the first black to start at quarterback

in the Super Bowl, which prompted some awkward moments and a lasting urban legend from his session with reporters in San Diego.

To this day, people will tell you that someone asked, “How long had you been a black quarterback.” Actually, the query was along the lines, “It’s obvious you’ve always been a black quarterback all your life.

When did it start to matter?”

Williams was reluctant to get into the issue that week, though he certainly understood the significance of the moment. “It’s going to be the same if a black coach brings a team to the Super Bowl. It’s going to be the same hype. It’s always going to be there.”

Unrepentant Ray Lewis One year after being implicated in the stabbing deaths of two men in Atlanta, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis spent an hour deflecting questions that weren’t about football. “That chapter is closed,” he declared on a warm day in Tampa. But Lewis did manage to express his frustration at prosecutors and the NFL. “It was never about those two kids lying dead in the street,” he said. “It was about Ray Lewis, and that’s not right.”

Lewis was initially charged in the murders, then cleared several weeks later. In a plea deal, he admitted to misdemeanor obstruction of justice and testified against his two former co-defendants. Both were acquitted.

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Julius Thomas to be key test for Seahawks Seattle has seen similar receivers during the season BOB CONDOTTA THE SEATTLE TIMES

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ERSEY CITY, N.J. — Even if the Seahawks haven’t really had a previous encounter on the field with Denver tight end Julius Thomas — we’ll exclude an exhibition game from this conversation — they’ve seen him before.

They’ve seen Thomas in the form of New Orleans’ Jimmy Graham, Atlanta’s Tony Gonzalez and San Francisco’s Vernon Davis, all tall, gifted tight ends who might as well be wide receivers.

“Very similar,” Seattle strong safety Kam Chancellor said of Thomas, who will face the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII Sunday at MetLife Stadium. “He’s just another athletic tight end with good hands.”

Seattle coach Pete Carroll used much the same phrasing to describe Thomas, a 6-foot-5, 250-pound former basketball player at Portland State who caught 65 passes for 788 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2013, a breakout season in his third year in the NFL. “He’s very similar to Jimmy Graham and all the guys that we have dealt with all year long,” Carroll said.

“So we have all the same issues and problems that we’ve had during the season.”

Seattle, though, has usually turned those issues and problems into answers and solutions, making Davis, Graham and Gonzalez into mostly non-factors in regular-season and playoff games.

In six games (three against Davis, two against Graham and one against Gonzalez) Seattle held that trio of tight ends to 15 catches for 136 yards and two touchdowns, or an average of 2.5 catches a game for 22.6 yards.

That compares to a season average for those three of more than four catches per game and 62 yards.

Chancellor is hardly the sole reason for that success. Everyone in the secondary had their hand at defending tight ends, as did some of the linebackers, specifically K.J. Wright.

Thomas, like the others, often lines up

Denver Broncos tight end Julius Thomas (80) carries the ball upfield against the San Diego Chargers during their AFC division playoff football game in Denver. The Seahawks have seen Thomas this season in the form of New Orleans’ Jimmy Graham, Atlanta’s Tony Gonzalez and San Francisco’s Vernon Davis.

Associated Press

wide as a receiver, or in the slot, and the Seahawks rarely adjust their coverage to match up to a specific player.

But because of where he lines up, at strong safety, Chancellor often took the lead role guarding tight ends and could well do so again against Thomas, whom Seattle has played against only in an exhibition game in August.

Not that Chancellor felt like giving away any secrets during his session with the media Monday.

“Nothing specific,” Chancellor said when asked to explain Seattle’s success defending tight ends this season.

“Just playing our defense every snap ... we just play ball. At the end of the day, football is running and hitting and I think our defense does a good job effectively doing it.”

The quote was vintage Chancellor, who is becoming the prototype softspeaking, hard-hitting safety in his fourth year in the NFL.

Seattle has had success this season holding down some of the top tight ends in the NFL:

Vernon Davis, San Francisco Season totals: 15 games, 52 catches, 850 yards, 13 touchdowns.

Against Seattle: Three games, eight catches, 57 yards, one touchdown.

Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Season totals: 16 games, 86 catches, 1,215 yards, 16 touchdowns.

Against Seattle: Two games, four catches, 50 yards, one touchdown.

Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Season totals: 16 games, 83 catches, 859 yards eight TDs. Against Seattle: One game, three catches, 29 yards, no touchdowns.

TIGHTLY WOUND

It’s hard to argue Chancellor is overlooked as he was named to the Pro Bowl for a second time and also selected as a second team AP all-pro.

Still, the Seahawks defensive headlines tend more often to go to cornerback Richard Sherman and free safety Earl Thomas, each of whom drew consideration as a potential defensive player of the year.

Teammates, though, think Chan-

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cellor should have been in that talk, as well.

“Kam, he’s been the best player on our defense the whole season, I think,” defensive lineman Michael Bennett said Monday. “He’s one of the best players in the NFL. I’m surprised he’s not up for defensive player of the year.”

The Seahawks recognized Chancellor’s value last offseason when they

made him the first of their young, core defensive players to get a big contract. Rather than let him play out the final year of his rookie deal, the Seahawks gave Chancellor an extension through the 2017 season that could pay him as much as $35 million and included $17 million guaranteed.

Seahawks general manager John Schneider said the team will always use a case-by-case basis in deciding whether to extend contracts before they run out, but said last week there was no hesitation with the 25-yearold Chancellor, a fifth-round pick out of Virginia Tech in 2010.

“There’s certain guys that, A, you just can’t afford to extend that at that time, or B, you just want to see how they handle things,” Schneider said.

“If you’re confident in an individual— we were able to redo Kam last year, and you know Kam’s going to be out there just being a pro every single day.”

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Technology helps fans hear sounds like ‘Omaha’ Sound important for NFL games on TV RACHEL COHEN ASSOCIATED PRESS

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EW YORK — The sound of Peyton Manning barking “Omaha!

Omaha!” is picked up by a tiny microphone in an offensive lineman’s pads so it can be broadcast to the world.

In an age of enormous highdefinition TVs and games streamed to tablets and smartphones, audio seems almost quaint. Yet TV executives have made it a major focus in recent years, for the exact reason so many people are fascinated by the Broncos quarterback’s audibles.

“It makes you feel like you’re right there,” said John Entz, Fox Sports’ executive vice president for production.

“That’s what fans crave these days.”

NFL Films pioneered the use of in-game audio, and the league had long clipped a microphone to the umpire’s cap to capture the snap count.

Before the 2010 season, though, the ump’s position on most plays shifted from the middle of the defense to well behind the offense for safety reasons.

After much experimentation during exhibition games, NFL officials decided to put a microphone in the back of the pads of two players for each team: either the first- and second-string centers or both starting guards.

NFL Films engineers at the game turn on one mic when the offense breaks the huddle, then shut it off after the ball is snapped. The audio is transmitted to the TV truck, where the networks mix it with crowd noise.

Technology gradually has improved through the years to

make the calls sharper — and not only in microphones. Just as the spread of HD sets left fans entranced by the crisp pictures, more viewers enjoy state-of-the-art surround sound in their living rooms.

Meanwhile, TV executives have embraced the value of audio in hooking the audience, seeking more and better ways to use it. Video used to be the “fair-haired child,” said CBS Sports executive vice president Ken Aagaard.

Not anymore.

“It’s gotten to the point now that the audio experience on an NFL game, and even a college football game, is just as important as the video,” said Aagaard, who oversees operations, engineering and production services.

Sitting in the truck in Denver as CBS broadcast the AFC championship game, Aagaard kept getting text messages and emails that “this audio is as good as they’ve ever heard.”

Still, Aagaard, who has heard plenty of “Omahas” from Manning over the years, isn’t quite sure why the word became a social media sensation only the last couple of weeks.

Manning has been a snap count virtuoso dating to his Indianapolis days, his calls unusually loud, clear and long.

Aagaard credited producer Lance Barrow and announcers Jim Nantz and Phil Simms for the silence in the booth during Manning’s calls, letting the “Omahas” speak for themselves. Asked last week what the word meant, Manning gave a playful answer, not really revealing whether it referred to a pass, a run or a snap count.

Entz said Fox would “have some fun” with Manning’s audibles in pregame features on Super Bowl Sunday, then talk about it during the game as is relevant. The opposing quarterback, Seattle’s Russell Wilson, is also vociferous, said Fox’s audio mixer, Fred Aldous. But Wilson’s calls are

As desirable as intelligible snaps counts are, Aldous tries to ensure they don’t drown out everything else. The right amount of crowd noise is also crucial.

“We really don’t want to take a viewer out of the stadium and put them right next to Peyton Manning — we want to make sure they stay in the stadium and keep the flavor in there,” he said.

Each mixer for CBS has a different style, Aagaard said, though he’s pushing for more uniformity. He can close his eyes while watching a broadcast and pick out who is working that game.

NFL Films also records plenty of additional audio during games, through microphones on other players and on the sidelines, which is repackaged for various shows that air later. The networks are always hoping for more sound, especially during games.

Teams always are worried about giving away secrets.

There was some angst from clubs when the microphones were put on offensive linemen, said Katz, who is also chief operating officer for NFL Films. That surprised him because they were capturing the same audio the umpires’ caps previously did. He notes that since defensive players can hear the snap count on the field, the offense isn’t hurt by broadcasting it.

Aagaard would love to someday get sound on the defense’s play calls, too. On all audio, the NFL must weigh the Associated Press value to viewers against conDenver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning calls an audible at the line of scrimmage in a game against cerns over competitive advanthe Oakland Raiders in Denver. The sound of Manning barking “Omaha! Omaha!” is picked up by a tiny tages. microphone in an offensive lineman’s pads so it can be broadcast to the world.

But the value is immense.

Katz recalled the mantra of type of audio to be distinct, so shorter and less complex, pos- said Howard Katz, the NFL’s NFL Films’ former president, senior vice president of broad- he can then weave them sibly because he’s much less the late Steve Sabol: “You feel together to create the perfect casting and media operations. experienced than Manning. with your ears.” mix. In a dome, noises bounce Aldous’ favorite venue is The QB’s voice isn’t the only off the hard surfaces and get Start with a close-up of a Green Bay’s Lambeau Field, reason the snap count comes muddled together. quarterback then add the and not just because the air is across fuzzy or crisp. Stadium sound of him hollering out In other words, Aldous is usually chilly. All those bulky and weather conditions and calls, Aldous said, “and that hoping for a cold Super Bowl coats worn by shivering fans crowd noise can interfere. On when Fox televises the game in takes it from good to aweabsorb sound, which makes a cool night in an outdoor stasome.” the elements in New Jersey. dium, the sound travels better, his job easier. He wants each

22

TRI-CITY HERALD | FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 2014

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12TH MAN GUIDE

tricityherald.com

FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 2014 | TRI-CITY HERALD

23

SEAHAWKS WEEK BY WEEK Game 1 SEAHAWKS 12, PANTHERS 7 CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Russell Wilson threw for 320 yards for Seattle, including a 43-yard touchdown pass to Jermaine Kearse in the fourth quarter.

The Seahawks managed just two field goals before Kearse beat cornerback Josh Thomas down the right sideline for the go-ahead score with 10:13 left.

The Panthers held Marshawn Lynch to 43 yards rushing, but Wilson picked up the slack by completing 25 of 33 passes.

The Panthers threatened to take the lead late, but safety Earl Thomas forced DeAngelo Williams to fumble at the Seattle 8. Defensive tackle Tony McDaniel recovered with 5:25 left. The Seahawks ran out the clock from there.

Carolina’s Cam Newton was held to 125 yards passing and one touchdown, a 3-yard strike to Steve Smith in the first half.

Game 2 SEAHAWKS 29, 49ERS 3 SEATTLE — Marshawn Lynch ran for two scores and added a seven-yard TD catch in the second half, and Seattle flustered Colin Kaepernick into his worst passing game as a starter.

The game was delayed 60 minutes by thunderstorms late in the first quarter. The highly-anticipated NFC West showdown was sloppy as opposed to sensational, but Lynch more than did his part.

Lynch finished with 135 total yards, including 98 yards rushing, to make up for quarterback Russell Wilson hitting on just two of his first 10 throws with Seattle’s receivers struggling to get open. His scoring run on the first drive of the second half gave the Seahawks a 12-0 lead and his TD catch pushed the advantage to 19-3 early in the fourth quarter.

Kaepernick was 13 of 28 for 127 yards with three interceptions.

Game 3 SEAHAWKS 45, JAGUARS 17 SEATTLE — Russell Wilson matched his career high with four touchdown passes — two each to Sidney Rice and Zach Miller — and Seattle overwhelmed Jacksonville.

The Seahawks improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2006, beginning a stretch of four straight games against the AFC South. Seattle came in as a 19-point favorite and never gave Jacksonville (0-3) a chance.

Seattle jumped ahead 17-0 early in the second quarter. Wilson connected with Miller twice in the first 16 minutes on TDs of 1 and 4 yards. He hit Rice for an 11-yard TD late in the first half and found him again on a 23-yarder early in the third quarter.

Wilson checked out with 3:54 left in the third and finished 14 of 21 for 202 yards. The four TD passes matched his performance last December in a win over San Francisco.

The Seahawks forced Jacksonville into three turnovers. They sacked Chad Henne four times, and Maurice Jones-Drew, playing with an injured ankle, was limited to 43 yards on 19 carries.

Henne was 18 of 38 for 235 yards.

Associated Press

The Seahawks’ 12th Man made CenturyLink Field a tough place to visit this season.

regular-season game since last Nov. 25.

Delano Howell scored on a 61-yard return of a blocked field goal for Indy (4-1).

Luck led his ninth career fourthquarter comeback by going 16 of 29 for 229 yards, beating Russell Wilson in their first matchup.

Indianapolis trailed 12-0 early, went ahead after Howell’s return, then rallied again to take the lead for good on Brown’s TD. The Colts sealed it with a 2-point conversion pass and a late field goal.

Wilson finished 15 of 31 for 210 yards with two TDs, one interception and ran 13 times for 102 yards.

Game 6 SEAHAWKS 20, TITANS 13 SEATTLE — Marshawn Lynch ran for two touchdowns and had 155 allpurpose yards, Richard Sherman came up with his third interception of the season, and Seattle finally shook Tennessee in the fourth quarter.

Seattle (5-1) won its 11th straight at home despite a long list of mistakes that allowed the Titans (3-3) to hang around into the fourth. There was a careless turnover, missed defensive assignments and a comical muffed field goal attempt that led to the Titans’ only touchdown on the final play of the first half.

But the Seahawks made enough plays thanks to Lynch, quarterback Russell Wilson and Sherman’s interception to remain on top of the NFC West. Lynch had TD runs of 3 yards and 1 yard.

Game 7 SEAHAWKS 33, CARDINALS 22

Game 4

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Russell Wilson threw for three touchdowns, Marshawn Lynch rushed for 91 yards and the Seattle Seahawks beat the Arizona Cardinals 33-22.

The Seahawks (6-1) intercepted two of Carson Palmer’s passes, converting both into touchdowns, and sacked him seven times, twice by Chris Clemons, who had been questionable for the game with a hyperextended elbow.

Arizona (3-4) got a touchdown and one of its three field goals after Wilson twice fumbled while being sacked deep in Seattle territory.

Seattle sent the Cardinals to their seventh straight loss against an NFC West foe.

SEAHAWKS 23, TEXANS 20 (OT)

Game 8

HOUSTON — The Seahawks used their vaunted defense to force overtime, and Russell Wilson and the offense finished off the Houston Texans to give Seattle the first 4-0 start in franchise history.

Steven Hauschka kicked a 45-yard field goal in overtime to give the Seahawks the 23-20 victory.

Houston (2-2) failed to score on two possessions in overtime and also lost linebacker Brian Cushing to a concussion. The Seahawks got the win on their second drive in overtime after rallying from a 20-3 deficit.

A key to the winning drive came when Doug Baldwin caught a 7-yard pass and Kareem Jackson was penalized for unnecessary roughness for dumping him into the ground. That got Seattle in field goal range and Hauschka’s kick came four plays later.

The Seahawks rallied to tie it at 20 on a 58-yard interception return for a touchdown by Richard Sherman in the fourth quarter. The NFL’s best defense held Houston scoreless after halftime.

Houston’s Matt Schaub threw for 355 yards and two touchdowns, but also had two interceptions and failed to move the offense effectively in overtime.

Wilson finished with 123 yards passing and a touchdown, and Marshawn Lynch had with 98 yards rushing and another score.

Game 5 COLTS 34, SEAHAWKS 28 INDIANAPOLIS — Andrew Luck threw two touchdown passes and Donald Brown scored the go-ahead TD with 8:55 to go.

The Seahawks (4-1) lost their first

SEAHAWKS 14, RAMS 9 ST. LOUIS — Russell Wilson threw two touchdown passes to Golden Tate, and the Seattle Seahawks made a dramatic goal-line stand in the final minute to beat the St. Louis Rams 14-9.

The Seahawks (7-1), riding the best start in franchise history, were forced to punt with just over 5 minutes left in the game, but they managed to pin St. Louis at its own 3-yard line.

Backup quarterback Kellen Clemens marched the Rams (3-5) to the Seattle 1, but Daryl Richardson was stuffed on third down and Clemens threw incomplete on fourth down as time expired.

The Seahawks won despite gaining just 135 yards of total offense, 80 of it on Wilson’s second TD pass to Tate.

Wilson also was sacked a career-high seven times.

Game 9 SEAHAWKS 27, BUCCANEERS 24 (OT) SEATTLE — Steven Hauschka kicked a 27-yard field goal with 8:11 left in overtime, and the Seahawks overcame a 21-point deficit to beat the Buccaneers for their greatest comeback in franchise history.

Trailing 21-0, Russell Wilson rallied Seattle (8-1). He threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Doug Baldwin with 1:51 left in regulation to pull the Seahawks even. Wilson then led Seattle on a nine-play, 51-yard drive in overtime capped by Hauschka’s winner.

Tampa Bay fell to 0-8 for the first time since 1985 when the Buccaneers started the season 0-9. Mike James rush for a career-best 158 yards for the Buccaneers.

Game 10 SEAHAWKS 33, FALCONS 10 ATLANTA — Russell Wilson threw a pair of touchdowns passes and Marshawn Lynch ran for 145 yards in a one-sided follow-up to last season’s NFC divisional playoffs.

After struggling for victories the last two weeks, the first-place Seahawks (9-1) blew out a team that not so long ago was talking Super Bowl, but now is just two defeats away from its first losing season since 2007.

The Falcons (2-7) trailed 23-3 at the half after the Seahawks scored a touchdown with 1 second remaining — a complete reversal of their postseason game last January.

Atlanta led 20-0 in that one after two quarters and was still up by 20 early in the fourth. Wilson led what appeared to be a historic comeback, putting the Seahawks ahead 28-27 with less than a minute remaining. The Falcons bounced back with two long passes and Matt Bryant’s field goal for a 30-28 victory that sent Atlanta to the NFC championship game.

This one was totally devoid of drama.

Game 11 SEAHAWKS 41, VIKINGS 20 SEATTLE — Percy Harvin made an impact in his season debut, returning a kickoff 58 yards late in the first half to set up Russell Wilson’s 19-yard touchdown pass to Doug Baldwin, and the Seahawks rolled to their franchiserecord 13th straight home win beating the Minnesota Vikings 41-20.

Harvin made his anticipated Seattle debut after missing the first 10 weeks of the regular season following hip surgery. His kickoff return proved one of the biggest plays as Seahawks improved to 10-1 and stayed on top of the NFC heading into their bye week.

Wilson and Marshawn Lynch wouldn’t let Harvin’s debut take the entire spotlight. Wilson had two touchdown passes, while Lynch had two touchdowns running and one receiving. Wilson completed 13 of 18 for 230 yards and a career-best passer rating of 151.4.

Game 12 SEAHAWKS 34, SAINTS 7 SEATTLE — Russell Wilson threw for 310 yards and three touchdowns, and the Seattle Seahawks became the first team to clinch a spot in the NFC playoffs with a 34-7 victory over the New Orleans Saints.

The Seahawks (11-1) moved two games ahead on the rest of the NFC in the race for home-field advantage.

Wilson was outstanding, picking apart the Saints’ defense. He threw touchdown passes of 2 yards to Zach Miller and 4 yards to Doug Baldwin in the first half as Seattle built a 27-7 lead.

He then added a pinball 8-yard TD pass to Derrick Coleman in the third quarter.

The seven points matched the fewest scored by the Saints since Sean Payton became coach in 2006.

tions, Marshawn Lynch scored on a twisting, triple-effort 2-yard run, and Steven Hauschka kicked three field goals as Seattle manhandled the New York Giants for its sixth road win.

Russell Wilson toyed with New York’s defense, running for 50 yards and throwing for 206 and a touchdown before sitting out the last few minutes.

Wilson’s 23 wins are the most for a quarterback in his first two seasons in the Super Bowl era.

The Seahawks (12-2) are closing in on the NFC West title and their best overall record; they went 13-3 in 2005 before losing to Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl.

Eli Manning was picked off a career-worst five times, with Byron Maxwell also getting two. The Giants (5-9) have their first losing record since 2004, and lost top receiver Victor Cruz to a concussion in the fourth quarter.

Game 15 CARDINALS 17, SEAHAWKS 10 SEATTLE — Carson Palmer overcame four interceptions to throw a 31-yard touchdown to Michael Floyd with 2:13 left. The Cardinals kept their postseason hopes going while snapping the Seahawks 14-game home win streak.

Arizona (10-5) had to win after Carolina beat New Orleans. And the Cardinals did thanks to a stingy defense that flustered Russell Wilson into one of his worst days as a pro, delaying any celebration of an NFC West championship.

Palmer twice was intercepted in the end zone, including Richard Sherman’s second pick of the game early in the fourth quarter. After Seattle (12-3) took a 10-9 lead with 7:26 left, Palmer led the Cardinals 75 yards and found Floyd for a juggling TD catch with 2:13 left.

Game 16 SEAHAWKS 27, RAMS 9 SEATTLE — Malcolm Smith returned an interception 37 yards for a touchdown, Marshawn Lynch added a 2-yard scoring run and the Seahawks clinched the NFC West title and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs with a win over the St. Louis Rams.

Seattle (13-3) matched the franchise record for wins in a season and finally wrapped up the No. 1 seed after losses to San Francisco and last week to Arizona.

Russell Wilson finished 15 of 23 for 172 yards. Seattle capped the victory with a 47-yard touchdown pass from Wilson to Golden Tate early in the fourth quarter that lacked the unsportsmanlike wave that got Tate flagged on a similar TD reception in St. Louis earlier this season.

The Rams (7-9) were penalized a season-high 12 times for 87 yards. Zac Stacy, who needed 42 yards rushing to reach 1,000 on the season, was held to 15 yards on 15 carries.

Divisional Playoffs SEAHAWKS 23, SAINTS 15 SEATTLE — Marshawn Lynch ran for 140 yards and two touchdowns, Steven Hauschka kicked three field goals in blustery conditions and Seattle flustered Drew Brees and New Orleans in an NFC divisional playoff game.

The top-seeded Seahawks advanced to the NFC championship game for the second time in franchise history.

Seattle shut out the Saints in the first half, got Lynch’s first 100-yard game since Week 10 of the regular season and received a spark from the brief return of Percy Harvin before he left with a concussion. Lynch scored on a 15-yard run in the first half and capped the victory with a 31-yard scoring run with 2:40 left.

Lynch finished with 140 yards on 28 carries and made up for another shaky day passing by Russell Wilson.

Game 13

NFC Championship

49ERS 19, SEAHAWKS 17

SEAHAWKS 23, 49ERS 17

SAN FRANCISCO — Phil Dawson kicked a 22-yard field goal with 26 seconds remaining and the San Francisco 49ers held off the Seattle Seahawks 19-17.

Frank Gore broke a 51-yard gain with just more than four minutes left to set up the go-ahead 11-play, 76-yard drive as the 49ers (9-4) kept the Seahawks (11-2) from clinching the NFC West on San Francisco’s home field.

Dawson’s fourth field goal of the day gave him 20 straight converted field goals, a franchise record topping Joe Nedney’s 18 consecutive in 2006-07.

Russell Wilson threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Luke Willson and Marshawn Lynch ran for an 11-yard score for Seattle, denied a franchisebest sixth road victory.

Game 14 SEAHAWKS 23, GIANTS 0 EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Richard Sherman had two intercep-

SEATTLE — Russell Wilson threw a 35-yard touchdown pass on fourth down and Seattle’s top-ranked defense forced two late turnovers, lifting the Seahawks into their second Super Bowl with a victory over San Francisco for the NFC championship.

It’s the first trip to the Super Bowl game for the Seahawks (15-3) since they lost to Pittsburgh after the 2005 season.

The conference champs had the best records in the league, the first time the top seeds have gotten to the Super Bowl since 2009.

San Francisco (14-5) led 17-13 when Wilson, given a free play as Aldon Smith jumped offside, hurled the ball to Jermaine Kearse, who made a leaping catch in the end zone.

Steven Hauschka then kicked his third field goal, and Seattle intercepted in the end zone on the 49ers’ final possession.

— Associated Press

GAME BY GAME DENVER BRONCOS 49 41 37 52 51 35 33 45 28 27 31 35 51 20 37 34 24 26

Regular Season WON 13, LOST 3 Baltimore at N.Y. Giants Oakland Philadelphia at Dallas Jacksonville at Indianapolis Washington at San Diego Kansas City at N. England (OT) at Kansas City Tennessee San Diego at Houston at Oakland Divisional Playoffs San Diego AFC Championship at New England

27 23 21 20 48 19 39 21 20 17 34 28 28 27 13 14 17 16

SUPER TICKETS Super Bowl Ticket Prices 2014—$2,600 to $500 Metlife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J. 2013—$1,250 to $650 Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans 2012—$1,200 to $600 Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis 2011—$1,200 to $600 Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas 2010—$1,000 to $500 Sun Life Stadium, Miami 2009—$1,000 to $500 Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla. 2008—$900, $700 University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.

2007—$700, $600 Dolphin Stadium, Miami 2006—$700, $600 Ford Field, Detroit 2005—$600, $500 ALLTEL Stadium, Jacksonville, Fla. 2004—$600, $500, $400 Reliant Stadium, Houston 2003—$500, $400 Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego 2002—$400 Superdome, New Orleans 2001—$325 Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla. 2000—$325 Georgia Dome, Atlanta 1999—$325 Pro Player Stadium, Miami 1998—$275 Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego 1997—$275 Superdome, New Orleans 1996—$350, $250, $200 Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Ariz.

1995—$200 Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami 1994—$175 Georgia Dome, Atlanta 1993—$175 Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif.

1992—$150 Metrodome, Minneapolis 1991—$150 Tampa (Fla.) Stadium 1990—$125 Superdome, New Orleans 1989—$100 Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami 1988—$100 Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego 1987—$75 Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif.

1986—$75 Superdome, New Orleans 1985—$60 Stanford (Calif.)

Stadium 1984—$60 Tampa (Fla.) Stadium 1983—$40 Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif.

1982—$40 Silverdome, Pontiac, Mich.

1981—$40 Superdome, New Orleans 1980—$30 Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif.

1979—$30 Orange Bowl, Miami 1978—$30 Superdome, New Orleans 1977—$20 Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif.

1976—$20 Orange Bowl, Miami 1975—$20 Tulane Stadium, New Orleans 1974—$15 Rice Stadium, Houston 1973—$15 Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles 1972—$15 Tulane Stadium, New Orleans 1971—$15 Orange Bowl, Miami 1970—$15 Tulane Stadium, New Orleans 1969—$12 Orange Bowl, Miami 1968—$12 Orange Bowl, Miami 1967—$12, $10, $6 Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles

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12TH MAN GUIDE

TRI-CITY HERALD | FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 2014

DEPTH CHART

SEATTLE’S FINEST

Seattle Seahawks Offense WR — 89 Doug Baldwin; 15 Jermaine Kearse; 11 Percy Harvin LT — 76 Russell Okung; 78 Alvin Bailey; 74 Caylin Hauptmann LG — 77 James Carpenter; 67 Paul McQuistan; 61 Lemuel Jeanpierre C — 60 Max Unger; 61 Lemuel Jeanpierre RG — 64 J.R. Sweezy; 73 Michael Bowie; 77 James Carpenter RT — 68 Breno Giacomini; 73 Michael Bowie TE — 86 Zach Miller; 82 Luke Willson; 87 Kellen Davis WR — 81 Golden Tate; 83 Ricardo Lockette; 19 Bryan Walters QB — 3 Russell Wilson; 7 Tarvaris Jackson FB — 26 Michael Robinson; 40 Derrick Coleman RB — 24 Marshawn Lynch; 22 Robert Turbin; 33 Christine Michael Defense LDE — 79 Red Bryant; 72 Michael Bennett LDT — 99 Tony McDaniel; 97 Jordan Hill RDT — 92 Brandon Mebane; 69 Clinton McDonald RDE — 91 Chris Clemons; 56 Cliff Avril; 95 Benson Mayowa LOLB — 51 Bruce Irvin; 53 Malcolm Smith; 93 O’Brien Schofield MLB — 54 Bobby Wagner; 55 Heath Farwell; 50 K.J. Wright ROLB — 53 Malcolm Smith; 57 Mike Morgan; 50 K.J. Wright LCB — 25 Richard Sherman SS — 31 Kam Chancellor; 35 DeShawn Shead FS — 29 Earl Thomas; 42 Chris Maragos RCB — 41 Byron Maxwell; 20 Jeremy Lane Special Teams P — 9 Jon Ryan K — 4 Steven Hauschka H — 9 Jon Ryan LS — 49 Clint Gresham; 86 Zach Miller KR — 89 Doug Baldwin; 19 Bryan Walters; 33 Christine Michael PR — 81 Golden Tate; 25 Richard Sherman

BUILDING A FRANCHISE Draft 2007 — DT Brandon Mebane 3rd.

2008 — DE Red Bryant 4th.

2009 — C Max Unger 2nd.

2010 — OT Russell Okung 1st-A; S Earl Thomas 1st-B; WR Golden Tate 2nd; CB Walter Thurmond 4th-A; S Ken Chancellor 5th.

2011 — G James Carpenter 1st; LB K.J. Wright 4th-A; CB Richard Sherman 5th-A; CB Byron Maxwell 6th; LB Malcolm Smith 7th-B. 2012 — LB Bruce Irvin 1st; LB Bobby Wagner 2nd; QB Russell Wilson 3rd; RB Robert Turbin 4th-A; CB Jeremy Lane 6th-A; G J.R. Sweezy 7th-A. 2103 — Christine Michael 2nd; DT Jordan Hill 3rd; TE Luke Willson 5th-C; OT Michael Bowie 7th-D. Free Agents 2008 — P Jon Ryan.

2010 — RB Michael Robinson; C Clint Gresham; C Lemuel Jeanpierre.

2011 — S Chris Maragos; LB Heath Farwell; LB Mike Morgan; G Paul McQuistan; WR Doug Baldwin; WR Ricardo Lockette.

2012 — WR Jermaine Kearse; WR Bryan Walters; CB Deshawn Shead; RB Derrick Coleman.

2013 — OT Alvin Bailey; DE Benson Mayowa; QB Tarvaris Jackson; TE Kellen Davis.

Unrestricted Free Agents 2011 — TE Zach Miller (Oakland).

2013 — DT Tony McDaniel (Miami); DE Cliff Avril (Detroit); DE Michael Bennett (Tampa Bay) Trades 2010 — DE Chris Clemons (Philadelphia); RB Marshawn Lynch (Buffalo).

2011 — DT Clinton McDonald (Cincinnati).

2013 — WR Percy Harvin (Minnesota).

Waiver 2011 — K Steven Hauschka (Denver).

2013 — LB O’Brien Schofield (Arizona).

Practice Squad 2010 — OT Breno Giacomini (Green Bay).

2013 — OT Caylin Hauptmann (Cleveland).

PLAYOFF PERFORMERS Passing ATT COM PCT YARDS TD INT Ru. Wilson 43 25 58.1 318 1 0 TEAM 43 25 58.1 318 1 0 OPPONENTS 67 38 56.7 462 2 2 Rushing ATT YARDS AVG LONG TD M. Lynch ....................50 249 5.0 40t 3 Ru. Wilson ....................8 16 2.0 8 0 Turbin............................5 15 3.0 5 0 Harvin............................1 9 9.0 9 0 TEAM 64 289 4.5 40t 3 OPPONENTS 54 269 5.0 58 2 Receiving NO. YARDS AVG LONG TD D. Baldwin ....................8 136 17.0 51 0 G. Tate ..........................5 44 8.8 13 0 Z. Miller ........................4 36 9.0 15 0 Harvin ..........................3 21 7.0 16 0 J. Kearse ......................3 69 23.0 35t 1 M. Lynch ........................1 3 3.0 3 0 Turbin ............................1 9 9.0 9 0 TEAM 25 318 12.7 51 1 OPPONENTS 38 462 12.2 52 2 Interceptions NO. YDS TD Chancellor ......................................1 0 0 Ma. Smith ........................................1 0 0 TEAM 2 0 0 OPPONENTS 0 0 0 Punting NO. YARDS AVG J. Ryan ............................................8 311 36.7 TEAM 8 311 38.9 OPPONENTS 8 323 40.4 Punt Returns NO. YDS AVG TD G. Tate......................................4 15 3.8 0 TEAM 4 15 3.8 0 OPPONENTS 1 0 0.0 0 Kickoff Returns NO. YDS AVG TD D. Baldwin................................4 130 32.5 0 TEAM 4 130 32.5 0 OPPONENTS 6 135 22.5 0 Kicking XP XPA FG FGA PTS Hauschka......................4 4 6 6 49 TEAM 4 4 6 6 49 OPPONENTS 3 3 1 3 25

tricityherald.com

OFFENSE

Caught Richard Sherman’s deflection for interception to clinch NFC championship and trip to Super Bowl ... Was recruited by Carroll to USC ...

Seventh-rounder who has improved each season ... Became more of a regular on defense in second half of 2013 schedule. Also plays special teams.

Russell Wilson, QB (3), 5-11, 206, 2nd season, Wisconsin Holds NFL record for wins at start of career with 24 ... Thirdround draftee who immediately seized starting job and led Seattle to 2012 playoffs ... Dynamic runner who excels throwing on the run ... Poised in the pocket, very dangerous outside of it ... Played at North Carolina State, then one year at Wisconsin as grad student.

Richard Sherman, CB (25), 6-3, 195, 3rd season, Stanford Forget the post-game diatribe against Michael Crabtree after NFC title game, this is best cornerback in football ... Will play press coverage or lay back and is equally adept ... Hits hard, too ...

Led NFL in interceptions with eight, even though man he is covering isn’t target as much as other receivers.

Marshawn Lynch, RB, (24) 5-11, 215, 7th season, California “Beast Mode” with a penchant for Skittles ... Powerful back with a burst, broke 40-yard TD run in NFC title game ... Rushed for 1,257 yards and 12 TDs this season ... Also a threat as receiver out of backfield.

Byron Maxwell, CB (41), 6-1, 207, 3rd season, Clemson

Michael Robinson, FB (26), 6-1, 240, 8th season, Penn State

Stepped in when Brandon Browner was suspended and has been just as good ... Finds the football and has good hands ... A sixth-round pick who has flourished ... Mostly played special teams before this season.

Former college QB who made transition to RB and now fullback ... Cut in preseason after three years with Seahawks, then resigned in October ... Also has excelled on special teams.

Earl Thomas, S (29), 5-10, 202, 4th season, Texas

Doug Baldwin, WR (89), 5-10, 189, 3rd season, Stanford Undrafted out of college, plays with an attitude about it ... Can get deep but is not a speed demon ... Versatile, made a 69-yard kickoff return in NFC title game ...

Wilson looks for him in key situations.

Golden Tate, WR (81), 5-10, 202, 4th season, Notre Dame Makes some spectacular catches and is a deep threat ...

Second-round pick in 2010 who also plays doesn’t back down ...

Led team with 64 catches, 898 yards and had five TDs this season ... Made infamous TD catch vs. Green Bay in 2013 that was last call by replacement officials.

Jermaine Kearse, WR (15), 6-1, 209, 2nd season, Washington Caught winning TD pass in NFC title game for 35 yards on fourth down in final quarter ...

Undrafted in 2012, played in seven games as rookie with only three receptions. Took over third receiving spot with injuries to Percy Harvin and Sidney Rice, had 15.7-yard average on 22 catches four TDs.

Zach Miller, TE (86), 6-5, 255, 7th season, Arizona State Signed away from Oakland as free agent in 2011, has not been as productive with Seahawks ... Had 33 receptions for 387 yards and five TDs in 2013 ... Good target in red zone and over the middle.

Russell Okung, LT (76), 6-5, 310, 4th season, Oklahoma State First-round pick 2010 (sixth overall) who has developed into Pro Bowl-level blocker ... Injuries have set him back at times, but a road-grader when healthy ...

Missed half of this season with toe injury, was placed on IR designated to return and came back on Nov. 17.

Associated Press

Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson holds up the George Halas Trophy after the Seahawks won the NFC Championship 23-17 over the 49ers.

Among the best centers in the game ... Intelligent, strong, really gets off the ball after he snaps it ...

A 2012 All-Pro who missed three games this season with arm injury ... His matchups with NT Terrance Knighton will be a key component in Super Bowl.

J.R. Sweezy, RG (64), 6-5, 298, 2nd season, North Carolina State A backup as a rookie who blossomed in his second year and started 15 times ... Missed Seahawks’ only home loss of season, to Arizona, with concussion, and Wilson was often overwhelmed by pass rush.

Signed as free agent away from Detroit, added burst off the edge in pass rush ... Had sack of Colin Kaepernick and forced fumble in fourth quarter last week ... Had eight sacks among his 34 tackles as rotation player ... Has 47 1-2 career sacks.

Yet another O-lineman who missed time in 2013 ... Knee problems cost him four games in midseason ... Highly competitive, huge and more maneuverable than might be expected ... Lynch often runs behind him.

Michael Bennett, DE (72), 6-4, 274, 5th season, Texas A&M Signed away from Tampa Bay as free agent and has been major contributor on league’s top defense ... Recovered fumble in NFC championship game ... Led team with 8 1-2 sacks among his 31 tackles.

DEFENSE Red Bryant, DE (79), 6-4, 323, 6th season, Texas A&M Versatile player who can go inside, has the bulk and the movement to be an end or a tackle ...

Leader of the defensive line ... Not a big sacks guy, but takes up blockers to free up teammates.

One of many members of rotation in the trenches, also has played for Jacksonville and Miami ... Joined Seattle this season as free agent, had 52 tackles and two sacks.

James Carpenter, LG (67), 6-5, 321, 3rd season, Alabama

Brandon Mebane, DT (92), 6-1, 311, 7th season, California

A surprise first-round selection in 2011 who has been inconsistent ... Has been in and out of lineup throughout career, was inactive for Saints playoff game, then started in NFC championship.

Strongest player up front for Seahawks, clogs running lanes effectively ... Was in on 45 tackles this season, high for the role he plays ... Has started every game he appeared in since 2008.

Max Unger, C (60), 6-5, 205, 5th season, Oregon

Chris Clemons, DE (91), 6-3, 254,

Accomplished pass rusher with 58 career sacks ... Had huge 2012 season, then tore knee ligament in playoff win over Washington, missing loss to Atlanta ...

Acquired in trade with Eagles in 2010, also played for Redskins ...

Sacked Ben Roethlisberger in Clemons’ first career start in 2004.

Cliff Avril, DE (56), 6-3, 260, 6th season, Purdue

Breno Giacomini, RT (68), 6-7, 318, 6th season, Louisville

Tony McDaniel, DT (99), 6-7, 305, 8th season, Tennessee

10th season, Georgia

Bruce Irvin, OLB (51), 6-3, 248, 2nd season, West Virginia First-round pick who had decent rookie year, then was suspended for first four games of 2013 for using banned substance ... Still raw, but can rush the passer ... At some point needs to show he can handle pass coverages, too, and this would be good time to do so.

Bobby Wagner, MLB (54), 6-0, 241, 2nd season, Utah State One of the league’s most unnoticed stars ... A do-everything LB who stays on the field ... Had 119 tackles this season and 140 as a rookie ... Also had five sacks in 2013 ... Coach Pete Carroll never misses chance to praise Wagner’s toughness and versatility.

Malcolm Smith, OLB (53), 6-0, 226, 3rd season, Southern California

Despite lack of size, Thomas is one of league’s most rugged safeties ... Versatile, active and smart, gets to the right place almost all the time ... Sherman calls him leader of the league’s top defense ... Two-time All-Pro who was first-round pick in 2010.

Kam Chancellor, S (31), 6-3, 232, 4th season, Virginia Tech Monster hits mark his game ...

Tall and rangy ... Has 278 tackles in past three seasons, and seven interceptions ... Could face off with Julius Thomas in one of the juicier Super Bowl matchups ...

Yet another low draft choice (fifth-round in 2010).

SPECIAL TEAMS Steven Hauschka, PK (4), 6-4, 210, 6th season, North Carolina State Also has kicked for Baltimore and, yes, Denver ... Caught on with Seattle in 2011 and has been very strong ... Has made 82 of 92 field goal tries for Seahawks and is particularly solid from distance ... Made six FGs against Jacksonville and five vs.

Minnesota this season.

Jon Ryan, P (9), 6-0, 217, 8th season, Regina (Canada) A rare exploit from Canadian college ball, Ryan has been a defensive weapon for the Seahawks ... Began career with Green Bay, has been with Seahawks since 2008 ... Put 28 punts inside the 20 and excels at getting them inside the 10, too.

Golden Tate, PR (81), 5-10, 202, 4th season, Notre Dame Will gamble a bit too much on punt runbacks, but also has skills to break them ... Averaged 11.5 yards a return, ninth in league.

Percy Harvin, KR (11), 5-11, 184, 5th season, Florida Has been injured for most of the season after being signed as free agent away from Vikings ...

Comes off concussion sustained in playoff game vs. Saints, when he had three receptions ... Had 58-yard kick return against former team in only regular-season game in 2013.

— Associated Press

SEASON STATS ATT R. Wilson 407 Ta. Jackson 13 TEAM 420 OPPONENTS 524 ATT M. Lynch 301 R. Wilson 96 Turbin 77 Michael 18 G. Tate 3 S. Ware 3 D. Baldwin 2 D. Coleman 2 Ta. Jackson 4 Maragos 1 M. Robinson 1 Lockette 1 TEAM 509 OPPONENTS 422

G. Tate D. Baldwin M. Lynch Z. Miller J. Kearse

NO. 64 50 36 33 22

Passing COM PCT YARDS TD INT 257 63.1 3357 26 9 10 76.9 151 1 0 267 63.6 3508 27 9 309 59.0 3050 16 28 Rushing YARDS 1257 539 264 79 31 10 6 3 1 0 0 -2 2188 1626

AVG 4.2 5.6 3.4 4.4 10.3 3.3 3.0 1.5 0.3 0.0 0.0 -2.0 4.3 3.9

LONG 43 27 15 13 20 5 3 4 5t 0 0 -2 43 51

TD 12 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 14 4

Receiving YARDS 898 778 316 387 346

AVG 14.0 15.6 8.8 11.7 15.7

LONG 80t 52 55 60 43t

TD 5 5 2 5 4

Willson 20 S. Rice 15 D. Coleman 8 Turbin 8 Lockette 5 Ke. Davis 3 M. Robinson 2 Harvin 1 TEAM 267 OPPONENTS 309

272 231 62 60 82 32 27 17 3508 3050

13.6 15.4 7.8 7.5 16.4 10.7 13.5 17.0 13.1 9.9

39t 31t 12 19 33 23 21 17 80t 73t

Interceptions NO. YARDS R. Sherman ..............................8 125 E. Thomas ................................5 9 Maxwell....................................4 6 Chancellor ................................3 78 Ma. Smith ................................2 69 B. Wagner ................................2 9 Browner ..................................1 49 B. Irvin ......................................1 8 C. McDonald..............................1 3 Thurmond ................................1 29 TEAM 28 385 OPPONENTS 9 21 Kickoff Returns NO. YDS J. Kearse ..........................13 283 Turbin ................................8 177 G. Tate ..............................3 57

AVG 21.8 22.1 19.0

1 3 1 0 0 1 0 0 27 16 TD 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 TD 0 0 0

D. Baldwin ........................2 57 Lane ..................................2 47 D. Coleman ........................1 0 Ke. Davis ............................1 0 Harvin ................................1 58 M. Robinson ......................1 4 Willson ..............................1 15 TEAM 33 698 OPPONENTS 44 1056

28.5 23.5 0.0 0.0 58.0 4.0 15.0 21.2 24.0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Punt Returns NO. YDS G. Tate..............................51 585 R. Sherman ........................1 -6 TEAM 52 579 OPPONENTS 21 82

AVG 11.5 -6.0 11.1 3.9

TD 0 0 0 0

NO. YARDS J. Ryan ....................................74 3159 TEAM 76 3159 OPPONENTS 82 3779

AVG 42.7 41.6 46.1

Punting

Hauschka TEAM OPPONENTS

XP 44 44 17

Kicking XPA 44 44 17

FG 33 33 26

FGA Pts 35 143 35 143 27 95

— Regular-season stats

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 2014 | TRI-CITY HERALD

DEPTH CHARTS

MILE HIGH HOPES

Denver Broncos Offense WR — 88 Demaryius Thomas; 12 Andre Caldwell LT — 75 Chris Clark; 77 Winston Justice LG — 68 Zane Beadles; 73 Chris Kuper C — 66 Manny Ramirez; 60 Steve Vallos RG — 65 Louis Vasquez; 73 Chris Kuper RT — 74 Orlando Franklin; 70 Vinston Painter TE — 80 Julius Thomas; 81 Joel Dreessen; 84 Jacob Tamme; 85 Virgil Green WR — 87 Eric Decker; 11 Trindon Holliday WR — 83 Wes Welker; 87 Eric Decker QB — 18 Peyton Manning; 17 Brock Osweiler; 2 Zac Dysert RB — 27 Knowshon Moreno; 28 Montee Ball; 21 Ronnie Hillman; 22 C.J. Anderson Defense LDE — 97 Malik Jackson; 57 Jeremy Mincey DT — 92 Sylvester Williams; 98 Sione Fua NT — 94 Terrance Knighton; 96 Mitch Unrein RDE — 90 Shaun Phillips; 91 Robert Ayers SLB — 56 Nate Irving; 54 Brandon Marshall MLB — 52 Wesley Woodyard; 51 Paris Lenon WLB — 59 Danny Trevathan; 53 Steven Johnson LCB — 24 Champ Bailey; 23 Quentin Jammer; 34 Marquice Cole SS — 33 Duke Ihenacho; 30 David Bruton FS — 20 Mike Adams; 31 Omar Bolden; 29 Michael Huff RCB — 45 Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie; 32 Tony Carter; 36 Kayvon Webster Special Teams P — 4 Britton Colquitt K — 5 Matt Prater H — 4 Britton Colquitt LS — 46 Aaron Brewer KR — 11 Trindon Holliday; 31 Omar Bolden PR — 11 Trindon Holliday; 83 Wes Welker

OFFENSE Peyton Manning, QB (18), 6-5, 230, 16th season, Tennessee One of the all-time greats will play in third Super Bowl ... Won 2006 NFL title with Indianapolis, lost in 2009 season ... Ironman streak of starting every game (227) from 19982010 ended in ‘11 after neck surgeries sidelined him for year ... Joined Broncos as free agent and has gone 28-7 with them ... Shattered NFL marks with 55 TD passes and 5,477 yards ...

First overall draft choice in 1998.

Knowshon Moreno, RB (27), 5-11, 220, 5th season, Georgia First-rounder in 2009 whose career seemed to be waning until Manning arrived ... Rushed for 1,038 yards and 10 TDs this season ... Can gain yardage inside or out, and picks up blitzers well ... Also caught 60 balls and scored three times ... Has become a producer in the clutch.

Montee Ball, RB (28), 5-10, 215, 1st season, Wisconsin Second-round choice after record-setting NCAA career ... If he protects the ball, he can be dynamic ... Had 559 yards rushing, 20 receptions, scored four times ... Broncos like to avoid overworking Moreno and Ball is the ace reliever.

Demaryius Thomas, WR (88), 6-3, 229, 4th season, Georgia Tech Big target with smooth running style who can make some spectacular catches ...

Manning’s main guy among many receivers, Thomas has 92 catches, 1,430 yards and 14 TDs ... Will be interesting confrontation for him with Seahawks DBs who believe they can handle anyone in man coverage.

Eric Decker, WR (87), 6-3, 214, 4th season, Minnesota Another versatile, smart route-runner who has meshed well with Manning ... Made 87 catches for 1,288 yards and 11 scores ...

Deceptively quick, though won’t win foot races with DBs ... Decker combined with Demaryius Thomas for the most prolific receiving tandem (2,718 yards) in the league.

Wes Welker, WR (83), 5-9, 185, 10th season, Texas Tech Was just slightly less productive with Manning as he was in New England with Tom Brady ... Signed before season as free agent, worked mostly out of slot to gain 778 yards on 73 catches and score 10 times ... Undrafted out of college, played for San Diego and Miami before joining Patriots.

Julius Thomas, TE (80), 6-5, 250, 3rd season, Portland State A breakout player, thanks greatly to Manning ... Went from obscure to star with 65 catches for 788 yards and 12 TDs ... Excellent target in red zone, also can break tackles for long gains ... Former college basketball player.

BUILDING A FRANCHISE Associated Press

Denver quarterback Peyton Manning, left, stands with head coach John Fox and Broncos vice president John Elway during the trophy ceremony after winning the AFC Championship.

Champ Bailey, CB (24), 6-0, 192, 15th season, Georgia

position.

DEFENSE Malik Jackson, DE (97), 6-5, 293, 2nd season, Tennessee Fifth-rounder in 2012, had 42 tackles in five starts and impressive six sacks ... Has nice burst off the snap, but is not consistent yet ...

Also played at Southern Cal before going to Tennessee.

Sylvester Williams, DT (92), 6-2, 313, 1st season, North Carolina First-round choice last April who earned more playing time late in regular season ...

Benefits from Terrance Knighton being so active next to him ... Must show he can penetrate Seattle’s solid inside blockers.

Terrance Knighton, DT (94), 6-3, 335, 5th season, Temple An under-the-radar force who has had a terrific postseason ... A rare NFL regular from Temple, Knighton was signed away from Jacksonville as free agent ... Has 31 tackles and three sacks.

Shaun Phillips, DE (90), 6-3, 255, 10th season, Purdue Signed away from division rival San Diego as free agent ... Uses moves and smarts to get into backfield, made 10 sacks this season ...

Has 79 1-2 sacks for career ... Should be Seattle’s primary concern in protection.

Chris Clark, LT (75), 6-5, 305, 5th season, Southern Mississippi First season as full-time starter ... Not drafted, spend time on several practice squads ... Replaced star tackle Ryan Clady (foot), made 14 starts.

Zane Beadles, LG (68), 6-4, 305, 4th season, Utah Second-rounder in 2010 who has started all but two of 64 games ... Very solid, Moreno gains lots of yards behind his blocks.

Manny Ramirez, C (66), 6-3, 320, 7th season, Texas Tech Stepped in when injuries depleted position, first time snapping for full season since high school ... Helped Broncos yield league-low 17 sacks ... Manning calls him “awesome.”

Louis Vasquez, RG (65), 6-5, 335, 5th season, Texas Tech All-Pro this season after joining Broncos as free agent ... Equally skilled at run blocking and pass protection ... Best blocker on a terrific line.

Orlando Franklin, RT (74), 6-7, 320, 3rd season, Miami, Fla. Massive second-round pick in 2011 who has held down job since being drafted ... Tough to see around, let alone get around into backfield ... Allowed only 3 1-2 sacks in 2012, fewest for

Robert Ayers, DE (91), 6-3, 274, 5th season, Tennessee

Getting Bailey to Super Bowl for first time was a rallying cry for defense ... Not nearly the All-Pro defender he once was, but has had solid playoffs ... Has 52 career interceptions, tops among active players.

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB (45), 6-2, 193, 6th season, Tennessee State Signed away from Philadelphia as free agent ... Wound up as team’s top cornerback after injuries or so-so play by others ... Broke up team-high 15 passes this season ... Also played for Arizona.

Tony Carter, CB (32), 5-9, 175, 5th season, Florida State Journeyman who had minor role this season, but has played important minutes in playoffs ... Has only started three games in career ... Seattle will try to get him matched up with Baldwin or Tate.

Duke Ihenacho, S (33), 6-1, 207, 2nd season, San Jose State Undrafted free agent who has made his mark after being on practice squad for part of 2012 ... Hits hard, not so great in coverage, but not a real liability ... Had 73 tackles in 2013.

Mike Adams, S (20), 5-11, 200, 10th season, Delaware Another journeyman who has plugged a hole in secondary ... Also has played for San Francisco and Cleveland ... Has nine career fumble recoveries.

PLAYOFF PERFORMERS

Spotty player who has come on recently ...

First-round pick in 2009 who never has lived up to billing ... Had 5 1-2 sacks, but only one in final 11 regular-season games.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Nate Irving, OLB (56), 6-1, 245, 3rd season, North Carolina State

Set NFL record with 64-yard field goal this season ... Won’t be bothered by playing outdoors in Super Bowl in cold weather ... Very strong leg, had 81 touchbacks on 114 kickoffs ...

Missed only one FG, from 52 yards.

Third-rounder in 2011 has been in and out of lineup ... With star LB Von Miller suspended or hurt, Irving got more playing time ...

Seattle will go after him.

Wesley Woodyard, MLB (52), 6-0, 233, 6th season, Kentucky Truly broke out in 2012 with 117 tackles, 5 12 sacks ... Had another solid season in 2013, but missed two games (neck) ... Made his mark with excellent special teams work.

Matt Prater, PK (5), 5-10, 195, 7th season, Central Florida

Britton Colquitt, P (4), 6-3, 205, 5th season, Tennessee With Denver’s offense clicking, Colquitt has punted just once in playoffs ... Member of kicking family, brother Dustin is with Chiefs, father Craig Colquitt and uncle Jimmy also were NFL punters.

Trindon Holliday, PR-KR (11), 5-5, 170, 4th season, LSU

Danny Trevathan, OLB (59), 6-1, 240, 2nd season, Kentucky By far the best defender in Denver this season ... Active, aggressive, versatile ... Sixthrounder who went from no starts to 16, made 129 tackles, had three picks, and was inspiration to teammates.

Had all kinds of breakaway potential, and also can drop the ball ... Had 81-yard punt return and 105-yard kickoff runback for TDs this season ... NFL’s shortest player.

— Associated Press

SEASON STATS ATT P. Manning 659 Osweiler 16 TEAM 675 OPPONENTS 613 ATT Moreno 241 M. Ball 120 Hillman 55 C.. Anderson 7 Bruton 1 Caldwell 1 Holliday 1 Osweiler 3 P. Manning 32 TEAM 461 OPPONENTS 420

De. Thomas Decker Welker Ju. Thomas Moreno

NO. 92 87 73 65 60

Passing COM PCT YARDS TD INT 450 68.3 5477 55 10 11 68.8 95 0 0 461 68.3 5572 55 10 357 58.2 4360 29 17 Rushing YARDS AVG 1038 4.3 559 4.7 218 4.0 38 5.4 35 35.0 7 7.0 7 7.0 2 0.7 -31 -1.0 1873 4.1 1626 3.9 Receiving YARDS 1430 1288 778 788 548

AVG 15.5 14.8 10.7 12.1 9.1

LONG 31 45 19 11 35 7 7 4 1t 45 35

TD 10 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 16 15

LONG 78t 61 33 74t 35t

TD 14 11 10 12 3

M. Ball 20 Tamme 20 Caldwell 16 Hillman 12 V. Green 9 Dreessen 7 TEAM 461 OPPONENTS 357

145 184 200 119 45 47 5572 4360

7.3 9.2 12.5 9.9 5.0 6.7 12.1 12.2

Interceptions NO. Harris Jr. ..................................3 Rodgers-Cromartie ..................3 Trevathan ................................3 R. Moore ..................................2 Mik. Adams ..............................1 T. Carter....................................1 Knighton....................................1 S. Phillips ..................................1 K. Webster ................................1 Woodyard ................................1 TEAM 17 OPPONENTS 10 Punt Returns NO. YDS Holliday............................32 271 Welker..............................10 70

31 15 36 19 10 14 78t 82t YDS 1 75 29 18 3 0 2 3 10 0 141 131 AVG 8.5 7.0

0 1 3 0 0 1 55 29 TD 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 TD 1 0

T. Carter ............................1 Decker ..............................1 TEAM 44 OPPONENTS 28

0 2 343 274

Kickoff Returns NO. YDS Holliday............................28 775 Caldwell ............................6 141 O. Bolden ..........................2 44 M. Jackson ........................1 6 Tamme ..............................1 0 Unrein ................................1 8 TEAM 39 974 OPPONENTS 32 936

0.0 2.0 7.8 9.8

Draft 2006 — G Chris Kuper 5th.

2009 — RB Knowshon Moreno 1st-A; DE Robert Ayers 1st-B; S David Bruton 4th-A. 2010 — WR Demaryius Thomas 1st-A; G Zane Beadles 2nd; WR Eric Decker 3rd-B. 2011 — OT Orlando Franklin 2nd-B; LB Nate Irving 3rd; TE Julius Thomas 4th-B; TE Virgil Green 7th-A. 2012 — QB Brock Osweiler 2nd-B; RB Ronnie Hillman 3rd; DE Malik Jackson 5th; LB Danny Trevathan 6th.

2013 — DT Sylvester Williams 1st; RB Montee Ball 2nd; CB Kayvon Webster 3rd; S Omar Bolden 4th-A; OT Vinston Painter 6th; QB Zac Dysert 7th.

Free Agents 2008 — LB Wesley Woodyard.

2009 — P Britton Colquitt.

2010 — DT Mitch Unrein.

2011 — CB Tony Carter; C Manny Ramirez.

2012 — WR Trindon Holliday; S Duke Ihenacho; LB Aaron Brewer; LB Steven Johnson.

2013 — RB C.J. Anderson; S Michael Huff; LB Brandon Marshall; DE Jeremy Mincey; DT Sione Fua. Unrestricted Free Agents 2012 — WR Andre Caldwell (Cincinnati); S Mike Adams (Cleveland); QB Peyton Manning (Indianapolis); TE Joel Dreessen (Houston); TE Jacob Tamme (Indianapolis).

2013 — CB Quentin Jammer (San Diego); DB Marquice Cole (New England); CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (Philadelphia); LB Paris Lenon (Arizona); C Steve Vallos (Jacksonville); G Louis Vasquez (San Diego); OT Winston Justice (Indianapolis); WR Wes Welker (New England); DE Shaun Phillips (San Diego); DT Terrance Knighton (Jacksonville).

Trade 2004 — CB Champ Bailey (Washington). Waiver 2010 — OT Chris Clark (Minnesota).

Practice Squad 2007 — K Matt Prater (Miami).

0 0 1 0

P. Manning TEAM OPPONENTS

Passing ATT COM PCT YARDS 79 57 72.2 630 79 57 72.2 630 65 42 64.6 494

TD INT 4 1 4 1 3 0

Rushing ATT YARDS Moreno........................37 141 M. Ball ........................22 95 V. Green ........................1 6 P. Manning ....................2 -2 TEAM 62 240 OPPONENTS 34 129

AVG LONG TD 3.8 28 1 4.3 9 0 6.0 6 0 -1.0 -1 0 3.9 28 1 3.8 16 1

Receiving NO. YARDS De. Thomas..................15 188 Ju. Thomas ..................14 161 Welker ........................10 76 Decker ..........................7 105 M. Ball ..........................3 13 Moreno ........................3 34 Caldwell ........................2 26 Tamme ..........................2 24 V. Green ........................1 3 TEAM 57 630 OPPONENTS 42 494

AVG LONG TD 12.5 30 2 11.5 37 0 7.6 16 1 15.0 21 0 4.3 12 0 11.3 18 0 13.0 15 0 12.0 23 1 3.0 3 0 11.1 37 4 11.8 49 3

TEAM OPPONENTS

Interceptions NO. 0 1

YDS 0 0

TD 0 0

YARDS 48 48 354

AVG 48.0 48.0 50.6

Punting AVG 27.7 23.5 22.0 6.0 0.0 8.0 25.0 29.3

TD 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1

NO. B. Colquitt........................................1 TEAM 1 OPPONENTS 7 Punt Returns NO. Decker ....................................3 TEAM 3 OPPONENTS 0

YDS 66 66 0

AVG TD 22.0 0 22.0 0 0.0 0

Kickoff Returns NO. YDS Holliday ....................................4 81 TEAM 4 81 OPPONENTS 0 0

AVG TD 20.3 0 20.3 0 0

Kicking XP XPA M. Prater ......................5 5 TEAM 5 5 OPPONENTS 3 3

FGA PTS 6 54 6 54 3 47

Punting NO. B. Colquitt ..............................65 TEAM 66 OPPONENTS 89

M. Prater TEAM OPPONENTS

XP 75 75 44

YDS AVG 2893 44.5 2893 43.8 4100 46.1

Kicking XPA FG FGA PTS 75 25 26 150 75 25 26 150 44 23 26 113 — Regular-season stats

FG 5 5 2

26

TRI-CITY HERALD | FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 2014

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 2014 | TRI-CITY HERALD

27

Frigid game will affect refs more than players Officials are less mobile, stand for much of contest ERIK MATUSZEWSKI BLOOMBERG NEWS

N

EW YORK — Mike Pereira calls himself a California guy who doesn’t like the cold.

Never has. The National Football League’s former head of officiating once wore a neoprene wet suit under his uniform while working an especially frigid game in Buffalo.

“You looked OK when you walked on the field, but by God if they ever forced me to be timed on a 40-yard dash, I’d still be running,” Pereira said in a telephone interview.

Now a rules analyst for Fox Sports, Pereira said potential subfreezing weather at the Feb. 2 Super Bowl in East Rutherford, N.J., will affect the seven-man crew of game officials more than any of the players on the field.

While the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks will get opportunities to sit on warmed benches and in front of portable heaters on the sideline, the officials will be far less mobile and standing on a field for about 31⁄2 hours at the coldest Super Bowl in the game’s 48-year history.

Bitter cold can cause more than just discomfort; it might lead to a loss of focus for those making snap rules decisions in the NFL’s biggest game of the season, former officials said.

“You can find yourself being very concerned with trying to stay warm, making sure your hands are comfortable, getting the feeling in your fingers,” said Jim Daopoulos, who spent 11 years as an on-field official and another 12 as an NFL supervisor of officials. “It’s that aspect that’s so important — to be able to concentrate during the bitter cold that sometimes occurs at the Meadowlands.” MetLife Stadium is part of the Meadowlands Sports Complex.

The high temperature in East Rutherford, N.J. on Feb. 2 is forecast to be 36 degrees and the low 28 degrees, according to State College, Pa.- based AccuWeather Inc. The notoriously windy stadium could feel colder with the wind chill factored in.

AccuWeather is predicting gusts of

Associated Press

Referee Gene Steratore flips the coin before the NFC championship game between the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers in Seattle. Rules analyst Mike Pereira said potential subfreezing weather at the Super Bowl in East Rutherford, N.J., will affect the seven-man crew of game officials more than any of the players on the field.

about 13 miles per hour in the Meadowlands for Super Bowl Sunday.

The lowest previous temperature at the start of a Super Bowl played in an outdoor venue was 39 degrees at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans after the 1971 season. Only one other Super Bowl played in a non-domed stadium has had a gametime temperature below 50 degrees, also at Tulane Stadium after the 1975 season.

NFL officials have worked plenty of cold weather games before, including a second-round playoff game on Jan. 5 in Green Bay, where the temperature dipped to 2 degrees in the final quarter, with a wind chill that made it feel like minus-13. There were only five penalties called in the San Francisco 49ers’ 23-20 win over the Packers, the fewest in any of the NFL’s 10 games this postseason.

The other nine games have had an

average of 10.6 penalties for 91.6 yards. The 49ers and Packers were penalized a combined 30 yards for their game in Green Bay. “I thought the game was officiated more loosely than any other of the playoff games,” said Pereira, 63, the NFL’s vice president of officiating from 2001 through 2009. “Why? Because they purposely let it go?

No, because I think being so cold affects your ability to react and concentrate. Cold weather, it does have an effect. You work through it, but it’s tough.”

Mike Carey, an NFL official since 1990, won’t be working this year’s Super Bowl, yet he’ll still have a presence as he tries to help his colleagues cope with the cold.

Carey, 64, is a co-founder of Seirus Innovation Inc., a closely held company in Poway, Calif., that sells cold- weather gear and will help out-

fit some of this year’s Super Bowl on-field officials in accessories such as gloves, hats, bodysuits, liners and facemasks. NFL officials are supplied two sets of uniforms by the league each year — one lightweight and one heavier — though Carey said the thicker pants and shirt aren’t adequate in extremely cold weather.

“A lot of guys will have our products,” said Carey, who started Seirus in 1984 and was the referee for the Super Bowl between the New York Giants and undefeated New England Patriots after the 2007 season. “Not only do you see it on the field, but you’ll see our face masks and our products in the stands.”

Terry McAulay, in his 16th year, will be the Super Bowl referee for the third time. NFL rules don’t allow McAulay, 54, and the rest of his crew — Carl Paganelli, 53, (umpire), Jim

Mello, 56, (head linesman), Tom Symonette, 61, (line judge), Scott Steenson, 67, (field judge), Dave Wyant, 60, (side judge) and Steve Freeman, 60, (back judge) — to talk with the media about any game preparation, including how they’ll prepare for the elements.

Freezing temperatures can also cause logistical issues for officials.

Some traditional whistles used by referees have a small ball — or pea — that causes the loud trill and will become ineffective if saliva freezes inside.

“When that pea freezes, you’re virtually ineffective in term of the whistle,” said Pereira, who will assist with rules-related questions on Fox’s Super Bowl broadcast. “It won’t blow. You just get this shrill noise that comes out, so you have to go with a pea-less whistle.”

The NFL said it supplies its Super Bowl officials with standard and “pea-less” whistles.

Like Pereira, who squeezed into the wet suit to try to stay warm and dry in Buffalo, Daopoulos said he remembers the coldest game he worked “like it was yesterday.” It was a 1989 Giants’ game in East Rutherford and strong winds not only helped Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Randall Cunningham unleash a 91-yard punt, it made the wind chill about 20 or 30 degrees below zero, to Daopoulos’ recollection. He said he sat in the locker room for almost a half-hour before regaining feeling in his hands, feet and ears.

“That’s what’s so unique about this situation, you have a Super Bowl, the biggest game of the year, in perhaps bitter, cold conditions,” Daopoulos said in a telephone interview following a round of golf in Hollywood, Fla. “No matter what they say, no matter how much they try to keep warm, it hurts and it’s very difficult to keep your concentration.”

The coldest game Casey remembers officiating was in Green Bay, where he said the temperature was about 20 degrees below zero with the wind chill. He said his gear at the time was “woefully ineffective” and spurred him to create lightweight, flexible products to help keep others warm.

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Teams plot X’s, O’s, wind chill for Super Bowl Debate rages about whether big game should be in warm-weather city KEVIN BAXTER LOS ANGELES TIMES

Y

ou never forget your first. That is why former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Andy Russell can recall, in vivid detail, much of Super Bowl IX in 1975, the first of his two NFL championship games. And his starkest memories center on the Poly-Turf surface at New Orleans’ Tulane Stadium, which overnight rains and cold weather had turned into a skating rink.

“We got out there and we couldn’t stand up. It was ridiculous,” Russell remembers. “We were slipping and sliding and we thought, ‘You can’t play like this. This is outrageous.’ ” In the locker room a trainer came up with a solution, swapping the players’ regular footwear for shoes with longer rubber cleats. That, Russell insists, made the difference in the Steelers’ 16-6 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.

“That was a huge issue,” he says.

“Getting those new shoes and going back out and discovering that they worked.”

Thirty-nine years later that game remains memorable for another reason — with a wind chill of 22 degrees, it was the coldest Super Bowl.

That’s likely to change soon. The extended Accuweather forecast for East Rutherford, N.J., and Super Bowl XLVIII is calling for a possibility of snow and light winds with temperatures in the mid-30s and wind chill in the low 20s for the Feb. 2 game between the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos.

And that has sparked renewed debate over whether the NFL should confine its biggest game to warm-weather cities and domed stadiums or let the elements come into play.

“It’s part of the game. Wherever the venue is, that’s part of the adaptation,” Russell says. “If there’s a strong wind that’s blowing across the field, well, you’ve got to make those adjustments.”

Associated Press

In this photograph taken with a fisheye lens, snow is accumulated on the seats and on the field of MetLife Stadium as crews removed snow ahead of Super Bowl XLVIII after a snowstorm last week in New Jersey. Super Bowl XLVIII will be the first NFL title game held outdoors in a city where it snows.

Hall of Fame defensive end Carl Eller, who was on the other side of the field with the Vikings during that game in New Orleans, agrees.

“The climate, it’s part of the game,” he says. “You should have a chance to play in the cold weather. It just seems to make the game more fair.”

And Eller points to an oft-overlooked reason why — teams such as New England, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Green Bay and Buffalo, who regularly play and practice in chilly, inclement weather, can be at a huge disadvantage in humid cities such as Tampa, Miami or Jacksonville, where 15 of the 47 previous Super Bowls have been played.

“In late winter, if we go to play in a place like Texas or California or Florida, there can be a 60- or 70-degree temperature change. And that would affect us,” he says. “So it really works both ways. All of a sudden you’re in hot weather and you haven’t been in that weather. It can make a big difference.”

Perhaps. But while rain and snow can play havoc with footing, no run-

ning back has ever tripped over a sunbeam on his way to the end zone.

And in a dome the elements can be programmed.

But the NFL threw those considerations to the wind — which figures to be chilly and gusty — when it awarded this year’s game to MetLife Stadium, making it the first open-air Super Bowl played north of San Francisco.

“A little snow would be great for us,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said shortly after awarding the game to East Rutherford, where the average low for Feb. 2 is a brisk 24 degrees.

“Some of our most memorable games were played in unusual weather circumstances. Winter and cold are part of football and snow is also.”

Local organizers quickly warmed to the likelihood of record cold temperatures, with the host committee’s website claiming it is “proud to host the first outdoor, cold-weather Super Bowl.” And to push that point home, the group’s logo features an icy blue-

Don’t rule out possibility of Super Bowl in Seattle just yet CRAIG HILL THE NEWS TRIBUNE

Ralph Morton calls it six degrees of separation, and the Seattle Sports Commission’s executive director doesn’t think it’s a good enough reason for excluding CenturyLink Field as a future Super Bowl site.

The Seattle Seahawks’ home stadium can meet all but one of the NFL’s requirements to host a Super Bowl. Host cities with open-air stadiums are expected to have an average February temperature of 50 degrees. In Seattle, the average high is 44.

“I just don’t know how we could play a football game here on a day like today,” Morton said last Friday, tongue firmly in cheek. “Players might get too much sunshine in their eyes.”

It was 50 degrees and sunny in Seattle at 3:30 p.m., the standard time for a Super Bowl kickoff. In East Rutherford, N.J., host of the Feb. 2 game between the Seahawks and Denver Broncos, it was partly cloudy and 16 degrees with a gale warning in effect.

This has some wondering: If the NFL can make an exception for New Jersey, why not the Northwest?

Sports Illustrated posted an article earlier this month on its website listing nine places it would like to see host a Super Bowl. London topped the list. Seattle was second, followed by Chicago, Denver, Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C., Austin, Texas, Las Vegas and Honolulu.

The Seattle Sports Commission will send a delegation to New York next week to observe the hosting process.

Morton said Seattle is not formally preparing a Super Bowl bid, but “we are trying to position ourselves so we can put it in when the time is right.”

When will the time be right?

“I don’t know,” Morton said. “Everything needs to align just right. It’s going to come down to the Seahawks and (owner) Paul Allen (wanting to place a bid). And the community will need to step up in a major way.”

Seattle used to be a regular player in the Super Bowl sweepstakes after the Kingdome opened in 1976, but it gave up after losing five bids in 12 years.

“It’s like being engaged for 12 years and then being jilted,” Bill Sears, organizer of the Seattle bid, told The Associated Press when it was edged out by Minneapolis to host the 1992 game.

and-white snowflake centered on the George Washington Bridge. On game day fans will receive welcome packs containing earmuffs, hand warmers and lip balm.

But avoiding the frigid Northeast or Midwest hasn’t guaranteed the NFL a weather-free Super Bowl. In addition to the Tulane Stadium chiller between Minnesota and Pittsburgh, the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears played through a steady rain in 2007, combining for eight turnovers. That game was played in Miami, with Peyton Manning winning his first Super Bowl.

And the lowest temperature to greet a Super Bowl kickoff was 39 degrees at the start of Super Bowl VI, where the wind chill dipped to 24.

That game also was played at Tulane Stadium.

Bart Starr, who won the most famous cold-weather game in NFL history, the so-called Ice Bowl, says it’s time to ice all the talk about the weather. Playing with a simple longsleeve undershirt and without gloves, Starr quarterbacked the Packers past the Dallas Cowboys in the 1967 league championship game in temperatures that started at minus-13 degrees, with a wind chill making it feel like minus-36 inside Green Bay’s Lambeau Field.

It was so cold that an official tore a lip when his whistle froze to his skin, and the halftime show was canceled because the marching band’s instruments didn’t work.

Then there was Florida-born Cowboys receiver Bob Hayes, fourth in the league in receptions that season, who telegraphed every running play by keeping his hands in his pants at the snap.

“I don’t want to make this trite, but I really believe that attitude is the strongest word in our vocabulary, next to God. And I believe your attitude is what enables you to do those types of things,” Starr says. “You have to overcome that (cold). That’s one of those mental things, one of those attitudinal things. Your job is to play the best you can. Everything else is secondary.”

Another former Packer, the aptly named Blaise Winter, says the Super

Bowl’s high stakes will erase any distractions the weather might cause for the Seahawks and Broncos.

“That is what you worked your whole career for, to have a chance to be in that game,” says Winter, a defensive lineman who played several games in wind chills below zero.

“What if they moved it to the North Pole? Who cares?

“From the players’ point of view this is a Super Bowl. This is not the third week of the season.”

There are some practical concerns, though. Strong winds can produce a bone-numbing wind chill that will make passing and kicking difficult. Plus going from the heaters on the sidelines to the cold field can make it difficult for players to find a rhythm.

But the biggest challenge, Winter says, might be leaving the warmth of the locker room after an extended halftime break.

“A huge part of this game, believe it or not, is how you handle that,” he warns. “If the weather is 10, 15 degrees, winds are blowing and you go in there. Things can turn radically because you know what you just came from. You don’t want to say it, but you dread it. It’s not the same enthusiasm as when you start a game.

“When you feel that cold when you go back outside, that can be the worst nightmare as an athlete.”

And here’s another tip for the players — if you see blood, check your extremities. Winter twice sustained serious gouges that needed stitches to close, but because his bare arms were frozen he didn’t feel either cut until he thawed out in the postgame shower.

Which is why even the heartiest players say there’s a point where the numbers on the thermometer trump the ones on the scoreboard.

Rocky Bleier, who slipped across the ice to rush for 65 yards for Pittsburgh in Super Bowl IX, was in the stands for the Ice Bowl as a 21-yearold Notre Dame senior.

The memory of that game still sends a chill down his spine.

“I got on my feet at 12:45. And at 1 o’clock, kickoff, I wanted to leave,” Bleier remembers. “That’s how cold it was.”

12TH MAN GUIDE

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Kennewick man, family will be wearing orange CRAIG CRAKER HERALD STAFF WRITER

Seattle Seahawks kicker Steven Hauschka kicks during warmups with punter Jon Ryan as his holder.

Associated Press

Kickers seek leg up Conditions could give Seahawks an edge BRAD BALUKJIAN LOS ANGELES TIMES

T

he East Rutherford Seahawks?

It’s got a weird ring to it, but there’s a chance that Mother Nature will give the Seahawks a slight home-field kicking advantage in the Super Bowl at MetLife Stadium.

The cities of East Rutherford, N.J., and Seattle are both approximately at sea level, while the Denver Broncos’ Sports Authority Field rises a mile into the sky, where atmospheric pressure is a lot lower and the air is generally less dense.

Broncos kicker Matt Prater is accustomed to kicking in Denver’s rarefied air.

“In Denver, on average, there are fewer molecules per cubic foot in the air,” said Tim Gay, a physicist (and author of the book The Physics of Football) at the University of Nebraska, while at sea level “there are more molecules for the ball to bump into, and it doesn’t go as far,” he said. The

same principle of physics explains the barrage of home runs hit at Coors Field pre-humidor.

“I know Prater’s a tremendous kicker, but he isn’t going to be kicking any 64-yarders in New York,” said former kicker Paul McFadden, referring to Prater’s record-setting 64-yard boot this season. And McFadden knows the challenge firsthand, having kicked in plenty of harsh conditions during his time with the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants in the 1980s.

Even without considering things such as air pressure and density, a field-goal kick requires the perfect confluence of kinesiology and physics, said Gay. Gay, who was an offensive lineman at Caltech in the 1970s, said the two most important factors in a field goal are the mass and length of the kicker’s foot and leg, which together act as a large pendulum, and the speed with which the side of the foot hits the ball.

Although a tall, muscular kicker may have something of an advantage, it’s not all about strength. That intangible called athleticism provides the technique necessary to whip the leg

and foot around in an arc that maximizes foot speed. On a kickoff, a pro’s foot moves about 60 mph, said Gay, transferring enough energy to launch the ball at 100 mph.

Even if the Broncos’ Prater and Seahawks kicker Steven Hauschka (and their holders) get all their fundamentals down, there’s still a lot that can go awry in the swirling Meadowlands. Although it’s still too early to tell whether snow or sleet is in the cards, there’s a good chance it will be cold.

In cold weather, the air is denser, which keeps the ball from going as far, said Gay. In addition, if the ball itself gets cold, it gets rigid, meaning more energy is spent deforming the ball when the foot strikes it.

“A cold ball doesn’t compress, so it doesn’t travel as far,” explains McFadden, who said he left New York for Atlanta after the 1988 season to get out of the north and its cold conditions.

And we haven’t even mentioned wind, which creates drag on the ball, and which McFadden calls “treacherous” at MetLife.

If it comes down to kicks, a lot has to go right to split the uprights.

For a number of years, Kennewick’s Joe Selman has helped run the Super Bowl party at Garden Christian Assembly.

The church shows the game on a giant screen, with good food and fellowship.

No one ever cared who Selman was rooting for, until this year.

The 34-year-old, his wife, Misti, and their two sons, Kaden, 12, and Korben, 8, will all be decked out in Broncos orange, and likely will give their fellow churchgoers a bit of a hard time Sunday.

“I’m going to be surrounded by green,” he said. “There are a few Broncos fans, but not many. We have an 80 or 100 inch big screen and I help run the event, so I’m going to be in the public eye. Most of the church is Seahawks fans.”

Selman is a lifelong Broncos fan after moving to Loveland, Colo., when he was 8 years old. His mother and grandmother grew up in Colorado and Broncos fandom ran in the family.

As the Seahawks and Broncos began their collision course, Selman noticed the trash talking crank up at work a bit.

“I get grief and I give it back,” said Selman, the general manager at the Kennewick Office Max. “It kind of helps that I’m the boss.”

Selman shows off his love for the Broncos constantly at work, wearing Broncos gear when he comes in on his off days and wearing a Denver keychain.

If the Broncos lose to the Seahawks on Sunday, Selman still plans to go to work Monday.

“I’ll probably get roused pretty good if they lose,” he said. “I might lock myself in my office; we’ll see.”

Survival in cold weather CRAIG HILL THE NEWS TRIBUNE

NEW YORK — Alex Van Steen knows cold.

He would have stood on top of Mount Everest in 1998 if it wasn’t for the minus-50 degree weather.

When his left foot started getting cold, the Rainier Mountaineering Inc. guide had to make a choice.

Summit and probably lose a toe or turn back.

He turned back and some in the climbing community teased him for not sacrificing a body part to stand atop the world’s largest peak.

He has no regrets. “I tell people I got to go to the moon but I only got to orbit,” Van Steen said. “It was still cool.”

But Van Steen, who has climbed Mount Rainier 243 times, said some of his most uncomfortably cold moments were winter nights doing outreach work for teenagers on the streets of Tacoma. Here he leaves his high-tech winter gear home in order to fit in.

Handling the cold, Van Steen said, comes down to preparation.

So what would Van Steen do if he was going to Super Bowl XLVIII in New Jersey?

He has a few suggestions: ◗ Wear long underwear under your pants. ◗ Wear two pair of socks with a plastic bag in between the two layers. ◗ Wear multiple layers on the upper body. ◗ Wear some sort of hat and something to cover your ears. ◗ Wearing a buff will help keep your throat warm. ◗ Arrive at the game with a full belly.

Calories provide heat. ◗ Lay off the alcohol. ◗ Get out of the wind when you get a chance. While it’s unlikely there will be open seats to move to, a quick escape to the concourse might allow you to warm up.

Van Steen said it would be ideal to bring a Thermos with a warm beverage. They’re not allowed so you might consider splurging on an overpriced coffee or hot chocolate.

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TRI-CITY HERALD | FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 2014

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Putting a lot on the line for the Super Bowl Sports books almost always wind up in the black JOE DRAPE NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE

LAS VEGAS — Johnny Avello has a big title, executive director of race and sports operations at Wynn Las Vegas — but in a town that talks about point spreads with the same intensity that farmers discuss the weather, he has an even bigger reputation. He is considered a don in one of this town’s most respected fraternities, the brotherhood of bookies. Call him a wizard, a Wizard of Odds.

It is a title bestowed on those who put out point spreads, or lines, on scores of sporting contests year-round, but have a turn in the mainstream spotlight only once a year when the Super Bowl transforms the country into a coast-to-coast sports book.

They are the men — and they are almost all men — who decide the numbers and proposition bets for football’s biggest game, affecting everything from office pools to bets made with neighborhood bookies and organized crime syndicates.

In Nevada, more bets are placed on the Super Bowl than any other sporting event. Last year, for example, a record of nearly $99 million was bet in Nevada’s sports books. Of that, the books kept $7,206,460.

While even the best quarterbacks fumble and the seemingly invincible teams find ways to lose, the sports books almost always wind up ahead.

In Las Vegas, they have a $5.5 million average win margin over the last 10 Super Bowls and they have won 21 of the last 23 outright.

The Wizards know things.

They know there are two

kinds of money: the sharp dough of professional gamblers and the square dollars of the public. They know that betting lines are meant to be moved.

They know fact — that legendary gambler Billy Walters, widely considered the most successful sports bettor in the country, always finds a way to lay his money down despite their best efforts not to take it.

They know fiction — that for every photograph of a sixfigure winning ticket that Floyd Mayweather tweets, the champ also has a half-dozen losers that never see the light of day.

Avello and his colleagues make the market in a sports betting industry considered to be worth more than $400 billion globally. On paper, it seems straightforward enough: Set a line, or number, that attracts an equal amount of betting money on the favorite and on the underdog and then pocket the “vig” or “juice,” or 10 percent fee for handling the bet. It rarely works out that cleanly, but over the course of a year, the ledger consistently favors the side of the sports books.

In 2012, $3.45 billion was wagered in Nevada, and the books kept more than $170 million.

In a world where algorithms rule, putting out a number remains an old-school endeavor. Each oddsmaker creates his own power rankings, and some confer with math-based consultants.

Mostly, though, they read the sports pages of local newspapers, surf the Internet, watch games and trust their instinct as keen observers of the human condition.

“I can’t tell you who the winner’s going to be, but I can put a number out there for you, that might draw some twoway action and is somewhere in the ballpark,” said Nick

Seattle, Denver mayors make friendly game bets SEATTLE — The mayors of Seattle and Denver have made their friendly Super Bowl bets, promoting local businesses and causes.

In a call Monday, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray said in the unlikely event of a Broncos win, he would send Denver Mayor Michael Hancock salmon, Dungeness crab and a bicycle made by Rodriguez Bicycles in Seattle. He also said a piece of blown glass from artist Dale Chihuly would

Bogdanovich, director of trading at William Hill U.S. “It’s what we do. We do it year in and year out, and you develop a feel for it.”

They know that square money is enthralled by favorites and falls hard for teams that have done a lot for them lately. The Broncos, for instance, not only covered against New England, but looked good doing it. It’s part of the reason Denver is the 21⁄2-point favorite even though oddsmakers opened with the Seahawks — a team they believe is better — as a 2- to 21⁄2-point favorite.

In Las Vegas, there are more than 180 sports books catering to every imaginable market. There’s the Wynn, which attracts high rollers with credit lines of millions of dollars. There’s South Point Race and Sports Book, which is open 24 hours and is favored by locals. And then there’s another popular one, the Casino Valle Verde in nearby Henderson — it’s a compact storefront next to a gas station and convenience store where bettors lay wagers on their way home from work.

The flood of square money

be auctioned to benefit Denver’s Road Home program for the homeless.

If the Seahawks win, Mayor Hancock said he’ll send a sampling of Denver’s green chile and a hoodie, ball cap and skis handmade by Denver’s locally grown Icelantic Skis. He also said he’ll auction off a Denverthemed item to support the Seattle-based Lifelong AIDS Alliance.

— Associated Press

that inundates the Super Bowl makes the game one of the easiest lines of the year for oddsmakers.

“It’s the only line that we make for the entire year that is geared towards the betting public,” said Jay Kornegay, the director of the sports book at LVH — Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. “Most of the betting public are just your average Joes that are just fans and doing it for entertainment on a weekly basis. They will overrun any type of sharp money that we will take on the Super Bowl.”

If this year is like past years, the books will bet right on the nearly 400 propositions — or prop bets — that so reliably lure in gamblers. The prop bets are jewels of specificity that range from the obsessive — the over/under total rushing yards for quarterback Peyton Manning — to the ridiculous.

At William Hill, for example, you can bet that LeBron James of the Miami Heat will have more points, rebounds and assists against the Knicks on Saturday than Manning will have passing attempts. There are prop bets for which team will call the first timeout;

whether or not Richard Sherman will record an interception; whether Inter Milan will score more goals than Sherman will have tackles.

The prop bets are popular year-round, but they have become a hallmark of the Super Bowl and one of the game’s most popular gambling features. Most experts say they became a phenomenon in 1986, when Chicago defensive tackle William Perry rushed for a surprise touchdown in Super Bowl XX. Bears coach Mike Ditka had used Perry as a short-yardage specialist, but no one believed he would run his defensive tackle into the end zone in the championship game. When Perry scored in the third quarter of a 46-10 Chicago rout, the books losses were in the six figures — and a new craze for prop bets was born.

Now, the prop bets allow for gamblers to bet on every single player on the field. Prop bets are expected to account for as much as 40 percent of the more than $100 million that will be wagered on Sunday’s game.

Best number By the time Seattle dispatched San Francisco, 23-17, to win the NFC championship and a berth in Super Bowl XLVIII, Ted Sevransky already was sifting through screen loads of betting lines from his home office here at the edge of the desert. He was looking for opportunity.

Sevransky, 46, a University of Michigan graduate, came here 15 years ago after deciding there was more to life than being a bar manager and a bookie for college students in Ann Arbor. He wanted to be a sharp, or wiseguy, as professional gamblers are known here. Many are called, but few are chosen to what can be a stomach-churning profession.

Wiseguys make up about 5

percent of Nevada’s gambling population, but can account for up to 40 percent of its wagering handle, according to LVH’s Kornegay.

“One of the advantages professional bettors have over amateurs is that we’re going to be in action as soon as the lines come up,” Sevransky said. “If you have a sense of what direction a point spread or total is going to move, you can get involved early and get what’s called the best of the number.”

In the moments after the Denver-Seattle line went up — initially as Seattle at minus 21⁄2 — Sevranksy picked the Broncos to win at pick ’em. Within minutes, they were the favorites and giving the Seahawks 21⁄2 points. There was no doubt he had gotten the best of the number, and over a course of a season, the best numbers add up.

Defense wins Defense decides who wins the money game: the books or the gamblers. When Bogdanovich’s computer beeps on the William Hill trading floor, he knows a big bet has come in that needs to be reviewed and, if necessary, the line moved one way or another.

“There are some professionals that are really good,” he said. “You try to identify them and respect their money and sometimes, you get them working for you. You mentally make notes on who is lining up on which sides.”

Communication is key as well. The oddsmakers often check in with one another to track where the smart money is going. The wiseguys know this and try to camouflage their opinions.

“It’s a cat-and-mouse game,” said Kornegay.

Come Sunday, the Wizards of Odds will have helped give Nevada one of the biggest weekends of the year.

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