Before the Super Bowl, there was a lot of talk about what the game, or more specifically a loss in the game, would mean to Peyton Manning's legacy. At that time, I agreed with most experts that this game would have minimal impact on his legacy. The man has built a impressive resume over a decade and a half and put up ungodly numbers. He was coming off a record breaking year and if he plays for another couple of years, he is guaranteed to own pretty much all the records for a QB. More importantly, he already has a super bowl ring and it felt like a second ring would be huge, but he would be in the best-ever conversation with or without it. But then again, none of us expected a 43-8 drubbing at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks and their legion of boom. This was not all Manning's fault, but he didn't help a whole lot and he definitely couldn't pull the Broncos out of it. Now, the legacy questions are for real after this unmitigated disaster. QBs are measured by championships and the sheriff has lost 2 of the 3 super bowls he has played in. Even his baby brother has 2 super bowls in the bag. Peyton has some explaining to do.
The game started off ominously for Denver as the first offensive snap sailed over Peyton's head. There was a lot of attention leading up to the game on what Peyton does at the line of scrimmage and all the "omaha" calls he blurts out. And then he couldn't even connect on the first snap. The center hiked the ball when Peyton was still moving around trying to fix things. This gave Seattle a safety and the ball. The Denver offense never found the rhythm and their defense was toothless as always. I am not a big fan of crediting big hits with more impact than just the scope of that one play, but Kam Chancellor’s hit on Demaryius Thomas on the Broncos’ first pass might have been a big tone-setter. The Legion of Boom made a statement right away. Percy Harvin made his mark felt early as well and he actually put the game away with his kickoff return TD at the start of the second half. There was still some hope for the Broncos at 22-0, but Harvin's jets made it 29-0 and it was pretty much curtains at that point. Demaryius Thomas' fumble was another bone-crushing blow to Denver's comeback efforts and they never really got anything going even in garbage time. It was a total domination by the Seahawks defense.
For all the attention the "omaha" audibles got leading up to the game, it became a mockery during the game as the Seattle fans across the country started shouting it at the TV to mock every Broncos mistake on offense. It became their unofficial war-cry as Peyton was rendered ineffective by Seattle's defense. Credit goes to Pete Carroll and his staff for shutting down the most prolific offense. Speaking of legacy, the real legacy this super bowl impacted big-time was Pete Carroll's. The man now has both a college and a pro championship. Thats big! His QB Russell Wilson is a made man now as well with a championship in just his second year. He is not the most effective QB and you could even say he is a little bit over-rated, but he is hard-working and a great decision maker. Clearly, he deserves some if not a lot of credit for the championship, but he will get a lot of credit being the QB. As for Peyton Manning, not sure if he can make it to another Super Bowl given his age. I can only imagine how much more grief he will be taking now if he didn't even have that one ring already. I do expect him to have another season or 2 of stellar QB play, but a second super bowl might be easier said than done. We shall see in 2014.
The game started off ominously for Denver as the first offensive snap sailed over Peyton's head. There was a lot of attention leading up to the game on what Peyton does at the line of scrimmage and all the "omaha" calls he blurts out. And then he couldn't even connect on the first snap. The center hiked the ball when Peyton was still moving around trying to fix things. This gave Seattle a safety and the ball. The Denver offense never found the rhythm and their defense was toothless as always. I am not a big fan of crediting big hits with more impact than just the scope of that one play, but Kam Chancellor’s hit on Demaryius Thomas on the Broncos’ first pass might have been a big tone-setter. The Legion of Boom made a statement right away. Percy Harvin made his mark felt early as well and he actually put the game away with his kickoff return TD at the start of the second half. There was still some hope for the Broncos at 22-0, but Harvin's jets made it 29-0 and it was pretty much curtains at that point. Demaryius Thomas' fumble was another bone-crushing blow to Denver's comeback efforts and they never really got anything going even in garbage time. It was a total domination by the Seahawks defense.
For all the attention the "omaha" audibles got leading up to the game, it became a mockery during the game as the Seattle fans across the country started shouting it at the TV to mock every Broncos mistake on offense. It became their unofficial war-cry as Peyton was rendered ineffective by Seattle's defense. Credit goes to Pete Carroll and his staff for shutting down the most prolific offense. Speaking of legacy, the real legacy this super bowl impacted big-time was Pete Carroll's. The man now has both a college and a pro championship. Thats big! His QB Russell Wilson is a made man now as well with a championship in just his second year. He is not the most effective QB and you could even say he is a little bit over-rated, but he is hard-working and a great decision maker. Clearly, he deserves some if not a lot of credit for the championship, but he will get a lot of credit being the QB. As for Peyton Manning, not sure if he can make it to another Super Bowl given his age. I can only imagine how much more grief he will be taking now if he didn't even have that one ring already. I do expect him to have another season or 2 of stellar QB play, but a second super bowl might be easier said than done. We shall see in 2014.
