The stories you want. The opinions that matter.
No, thanks
Tag: peyton manning
Broncos Win Super Bowl, Manning Mum On Future Plans

Broncos Win Super Bowl, Manning Mum On Future Plans

By Steve Keating

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (Reuters) – The Denver Broncos upset the top-seeded Carolina Panthers to win Super Bowl 50 on Sunday, giving quarterback Peyton Manning the chance to call a fairytale ending to his storied career.

The 24-10 win over the Panthers marked the third Super Bowl triumph for Denver and second for 39-year-old Manning, who was playing in what many expect to be his final game.

Manning, a five-time league most valuable player, added yet another line in the record books as he became the NFL’s oldest quarterback to play in a Super Bowl and first to reach 200 career wins.

It was the top ranked Denver defense, however, that can claim credit for the victory after holding the league’s highest-scoring offence to a single touchdown and 10 points.

The Denver defense was led by a rampaging Von Miller who forced Panthers quarterback Cam Newton into two fumbles that led to touchdowns and ultimately earned the outside linebacker Super Bowl Most Valuable Player honors.

“It just shows the type of team we have. It’s not just about offense, defense or special teams,” said Miller. “We came together as a whole.”

Manning, who has kept fans guessing about his playing future, refused to reveal his hand after the game as a shower of golden confetti fell on a capacity crowd of 71,000 at Levi’s Stadium.

“I got some good advice from (former Indianapolis coach) Tony Dungy. He said don’t make an emotional decision,” said Manning, who joins younger brother Eli Manning as a two-time Super Bowl champion. “It’s certainly been an emotional week for everybody.

“This has been a very emotional week, an emotional night, and I’ve got a couple of priorities. I’ll take some time to reflect. I’m going to drink a lot of beer tonight. Von Miller’s buying.”

Manning, who holds the record for most career touchdown passes, did not add to his total in what was his fourth Super Bowl, completing just 13 of 23 attempts for 141 yards.

Instead the Broncos leaned on a relentless defense that kept regular season MVP Newton in check, sacking the quarterback six times, intercepting him once and forcing two fumbles.

PARTY WEATHER

As if it had been specially ordered by the NFL just for the Super Bowl’s golden anniversary, Mother Nature delivered perfect party weather with blue skies and unseasonably warm temperatures hovering around 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 Celsius).

While the Panthers entered the game almost a touchdown favorite the majority of the fans filing into Levi’s Stadium were decked out in Broncos orange.

The Broncos scored on their opening drive and never trailed, Brandon McManus connecting on a 34-yard field goal to leave the Carolina trailing for the first time this post-season.

Newton, as he does every game, began by saying a prayer then blowing a kiss to his mom, but it was the only thing that was routine as he was kept under constant pressure.

The Panthers quickly found themselves in an even deeper hole when Newton was stripped of the ball by Miller and Malik Jackson scooped it up in the end zone for a touchdown and 10-0 lead.

With the exception of 73-yard drive to start the second quarter that was capped by Jonathan Stewart’s massive leap from the one-yard line into the end zone, Newton was unable to get the Carolina offense in gear.

Manning was also unable to fire up a sputtering Denver attack, managing four first downs in a bone-jarring first half.

After Jordan Norwood’s electrifying 61-yard punt return, the longest in Super Bowl history, set up Denver on the Carolina 14 Manning could not get the ball into the end zone, settling again for a McManus field goal and 13-7 lead.

Carolina’s problems continued when Graham Gano’s 44-yard field goal attempt bounced the upright on the opening possession of the second half. Denver would not make the same mistake as McManus connected from the 30 shortly after.

Trailing 16-7, Carolina started the fourth quarter by forcing Manning to fumble and turning it into a 39-yard Gano field goal.

But Miller would end any hope of a Carolina comeback when he knocked the ball out of Newton’s hand on the Panthers four-yard line where the Denver offence took over, C.J. Anderson powering his way over from the two for 24-10 lead.

(Editing by Frank Pingue)

Photo: Denver Broncos’ quarterback Peyton Manning hands off to C.J. Anderson (22) in the fourth quarter of the NFL’s Super Bowl 50 football game against the Carolina Panthers in Santa Clara, California February 7, 2016. REUTERS/Stephen Lam

Denver’s Champ Could Live Up To Name In Super Bowl

Denver’s Champ Could Live Up To Name In Super Bowl

New York (AFP) – Denver cornerback Champ Bailey might finally live up to his name after 15 National Football League seasons when the Broncos face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday in Super Bowl 48.

The 35-year-old defender will make his Super Bowl debut and says winning would be the biggest achievement of a career that began with Washington in 1999 and saw him join the Broncos in 2004.

“It has been a long road, but I’m just taking it in stride,” Bailey said. “I’m not trying to hype it up more than it should be. It’s still football. You’ve got to go out there and perform.”

Teammates praise Bailey for his leadership and advice, but they also know how much it means to him just reaching the Super Bowl.

“To see him shed a tear after the last game, you know what this means to him,” said fellow cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

Bailey was in reflective mood.

“I think that’s the way it works out,” he said. “If I was supposed to be here, I would have been here a long time ago. Things do take time, and I finally got with the right group of guys. This is definitely the best team I’ve been on.”

Bailey shakes off the notion that age has made him a step slow and vulnerable to younger, faster receivers, even as he enjoys the benefits of experience.

“I’m not worried about it,” he said. “I’m supposed to lose a step at some point. It’s going to happen. You can’t avoid it. Every old player gets old. I don’t feel like I can’t play the game and that’s all that matters.”

Retirement is not in his plans for now.

“I’m not really thinking about retiring if I win,” Bailey said. “All I’m thinking about is winning and doing what I’ve got to do to win the game. That’s my preparation this week. After the game, we’ll talk about that.”

Bailey, whose teammate Peyton Manning is the only player who has been in the league longer, missed much of this season with a foot injury but has made it back for the game that matters most.

“It has been tough, but I’m not looking back,” Bailey said. “I’ve felt good for about a good month and I continue to feel better and that’s all I can ask. I can’t get all those days and weeks back but what’s in front of me is big and I know it. I understand it, I feel good, and I’m ready for it.”

Broncos coach John Fox said that seeing Bailey hold the conference championship trophy aloft two weeks ago, knowing he was Super Bowl bound, was a high point.

“It has been a frustrating season for Champ. He did have a foot injury. It did set him back but he was always there and in that room, his guidance, his leadership was always there and that never wavered,” Fox said.

“It might have been one of my fonder moments in coaching just watching him hoist that Lamar Hunt trophy. He has been tremendous and he’s a great player, a great person and I couldn’t be happier for him.”

AFP Photo/Elsa