Broncos cornerback Chris Harris to have knee surgery Thursday By Mike Klis The Denver Post February 4, 2014

JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Chris Harris will have surgery Thursday to repair the torn ACL in the cornerback's left knee.

The surgery will be performed by renowned knee specialist Dr. James Andrews. The hope is Andrews will find Harris' surgery easier than others. Harris said he has only a 30 percent tear in the ACL.

"I can do everything," Harris said. "It's just structurally where they wouldn't let me play."

Harris is a restricted free agent this year, meaning the Broncos can match any offer he receives.

Injury report. The Broncos who appeared to be in the most pain Monday were receiver Demaryius Thomas and linebacker Nate Irving.

Thomas fell on his left shoulder late in the Broncos' 43-8 Super Bowl loss to Seattle on Sunday and couldn't raise his left arm.

Irving hobbled around the team hotel in a boot protecting his sprained left ankle. X-rays and an MRI of the injury revealed no structural damage.

All-pro guard Louis Vasquez and middle linebacker Paris Lenon left the game because of rib injuries. Running back Knowshon Moreno had a back injury.

Back to work. The Broncos' front office, including executive John Elway, coach John Fox and his staff, will spend the next three days evaluating their players. They will start having preliminary discussions next week on how to set the 2014 roster.

The Broncos will have personnel executives, scouts and coaches at the NFL scouting combine Feb. 19-25 in Indianapolis.

Exit plan. Denver players will have exit physicals and will clean out their lockers Tuesday. Elway and Fox will have a joint news conference at 2 p.m.

Denver Broncos planning to let freedom ring for 16 players By Mike Klis The Denver Post February 4, 2014

JERSEY CITY, N.J. — To fans of the popular Eric Decker or 15 other Broncos free agents, nervous times are ahead.

John Elway, the Broncos' executive vice president of football operations, said the team's prospective free agents most likely would be allowed to test the NFL market when the 2014 league season opens March 11.

Pre-emptive deals with star players such as wide receiver Decker, cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and running back Knowshon Moreno are unlikely. This way, the player and the club will have a better understanding of the player's market value.

"Then we'll see if we're in the ballpark," Elway said.

The risk of losing a star player, though, becomes greater once he becomes available to the highest bidder. Interest from competing teams in Decker figures to be strong.

"I do hope it works out," Decker said Monday morning before departing with his team for home. "I love the city of Denver. I love the organization. I love everything about it. I understand it's a business, and we'll see what happens. I have enjoyed my time here."

Decker has been the Broncos' second-best receiver, behind Demaryius Thomas, each of the past three seasons. The past two seasons, Decker averaged 86 catches, 1,176 yards and 12 touchdowns. But after making $1.3 million in the 2013 season, he is expected to command a multiyear contract worth $7 million to $9 million annually — the variance depending what the market bears.

Denver's other starters who are set to become free agents: Moreno, Rodgers-Cromartie, guard Zane Beadles, defensive end Shaun Phillips, safety Mike Adams and linebacker Paris Lenon.

"I'd like to stay here," Rodgers-Cromartie said. "It's been a good year. As a team, I know we came up short, but I definitely like what's going on here and where this team is."

"I want to finish my career here," said Adams, a safety who turns 33 on March 24 and a full-time starter with Denver in 2012. "If not, business is business. But I do hope it works out here."

The team's other free agents are linebacker and defensive captain Wesley Woodyard, defensive end Robert Ayers, wide receiver Andre Caldwell, cornerback Quentin Jammer, defensive end Jeremy Mincey, safety Michael Huff, guard-center Steve Vallos, offensive tackle Winston Justice and cornerback Marquice Cole.

Free agency on the horizon

The Broncos have 16 players whose contracts expire at 1:59 p.m. on March 11, making them NFL free agents at 2 p.m.:

Eric Decker, WR

Knowshon Moreno, RB

Dominique Rodgers- Cromartie, CB

Zane Beadles, G

Shaun Phillips, DE

Mike Adams, S

Paris Lenon, LB

Wesley Woodyard, LB

Robert Ayers, DE

Andre Caldwell, WR

Quentin Jammer, CB

Jeremy Mincey, DE

Michael Huff, S

Steve Vallos, G-C

Winston Justice, OT

Marquice Cole, CB

Broncos players, coaches confounded by Super Bowl debacle vs. Seahawks By Mike Klis The Denver Post February 3, 2014

JERSEY CITY, N.J. — There was one more assignment for this season's Broncos to fulfill, the order coming not from John Fox or John Elway, but operations boss Chip Conway.

Players dutifully, somberly, rolled their luggage Monday through the Hyatt hotel lobby, down a long corridor to a conference room that had served as a football war room for a week, but was now a sparse reminder of wasted time.

Across the hallway, Adam Gase leaned back across the outside corner of another conference room.

"The hardest part is we're going to have to go back and watch that game again on film," said Gase, the Broncos' offensive coordinator. "We're not looking forward to that. I wish I could have found that play that would have taken us out of that spiral."

The sun did not come up the next morning. Not here it didn't. A snowstorm fell upon the New York/New Jersey area. It hit a couple hours after the Broncos were bullied by the Seattle Seahawks, 43-8, in Super Bowl XLVIII on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

"We've got to give credit to Seattle, you could tell they wanted it way more than us," said Broncos cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. "They were not going to take a loss. They definitely came out and punched us around."

There was not one play Gase could have devised. If a play worked, there would be consequences. Demaryius Thomas set a Super Bowl record with 13 catches. His left shoulder hurt so bad the morning after, he needed help rolling his bag to the luggage cart. Linebacker Nate Irving hobbled through with a boot around his left ankle sprain. Running back Knowshon Moreno walked through with a stiff back. Middle linebacker Paris Lenon and guard Louis Vasquez had sore ribs.

Those wounds will heal.

The dazed and demoralizing feeling of getting clobbered from the opening hike will last for a while.

"We played so bad," said Broncos receiver Eric Decker. "It doesn't even feel like we played. I thought we were prepared, we were ready."

Decker is a good football soldier, a loyal team guy. But the morning after, the preparation had to be questioned. The Broncos had two weeks to get ready for Seattle, and the first play of the game the center hikes the ball over the quarterback's head for a safety? It's like coming off a timeout and taking a delay-of-game penalty.

The Broncos knew — absolutely knew — the Seahawks would employ Percy Harvin as a special weapon, and he breaks containment on two end arounds for long runs and returns a kickoff for a touchdown, anyway?

Inexcusable. The Broncos did prepare. They did watch all the film, go through hours of meetings.

But clearly the method of preparation has to be examined. And then never repeated.

"I was just disappointed to get this close and then not make the ultimate goal," said Elway, the Broncos' director of football operations, as he boarded a team bus alongside his wife Paige. "A great team that worked hard. They busted their butts and persevered. It's just unfortunate we didn't play better."

No one took the Super Bowl embarrassment harder than Elway. That competitive spirit that carried him through so many fourth-quarter comebacks as a quarterback still blazes inside.

"We'll get better," he said, defiantly. "Obviously, we have some tough decisions to make."

His first two deal with the coaching staff. The contract for defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio has expired. And Fox, the head coach, is entering the final year of his deal.

"We'll talk about it," Elway said.

All sides understand the timing of a contract extension is hardly ideal. Fox had just walked out of the Hudson Room, where the team breakfast was served. There wouldn't be many customers the morning after.

He walked out with only a cup of coffee. Once the sting dulls, Fox will be deserving of a contract extension. He has led the Broncos to three consecutive AFC West titles and back-to-back, 13-3 records.

The Massacre at MetLife, though, is too fresh.

"Let me lick my wounds first," Fox said.

He shook his head at how his team's performance against Seattle in a preseason game in August was dreadfully similar to their game against Seattle in the Super Bowl. In both, the Broncos committed a turnover that was returned for a touchdown. In both, the Seahawks returned a kickoff for a touchdown.

The Seahawks won the preseason game (40-10) and the Super Bowl (43-8). That adds up to mismatch. Never mind which Broncos may be leaving or new guys who will be arriving. It's the guys coming back that need work.

"What you take out of this is you take that feeling of getting punched around — twice by that team — and work hard this offseason to come back stronger," Rodgers-Cromartie said.

Hochman: Pain from Broncos' loss could have real staying power By Benjamin Hochman The Denver Post February 4, 2014

NEW YORK — It's been a couple of days now, and perhaps it's time for Denverites to take a step back, use some perspective and at least appreciate how far the Broncos came this season.

No, what am I saying? This still hurts, still stinks and feels like your ex-girlfriend just stepped on your throat with her stiletto while wearing a Marshawn Lynch jersey and gleefully chomping on Skittles.

It's crazy to think back to the weeks after the loss to the Ravens last season. The sadness didn't dissipate after dethawing. The piercing painful reminders popped up randomly, which hit you during a work meeting or a drive home, and all you could think was AAAARRGGHH!

Well, this one was for a Super Bowl title. And the greatest offense in NFL history scored eight points. What was that? This was LeBron James putting up six points with four boards. This was circa "Magnum PI" Tom Selleck leaving Ladies' Night with just his mustache. It was unfathomable. Joe Namath had a better night than most Broncos.

"It doesn't feel real," said Denver defensive tackle Terrance Knighton. "It almost feels like a nightmare."

In the 43-8 Super Bowl shellacking by the Seattle Seahawks, you were let down by the people you trusted, and that's perhaps the best way to explain the inexplicable, to capture the reality of the rout. That's why it hurts. Coach John Fox was valiant all season, next men were up, but in this chess match against Pete Carroll, sometimes it seemed like Foxy was playing checkers. Denver's offense was going sideways for much of the evening.

Denver's defense, at times, looked like the clock had struck midnight on these Cinderella second-stringers, who had been playing well in place of the injured star starters.

I would have voted Seattle's Percy Harvin for MVP, not just for his coffin-nailing kickoff return to start the second half but also for his pair of runs that caught Denver completely off guard, as if Seattle were literally playing with 12 men.

But really, the game MVP was Dan Quinn. Wait, who? He is Seattle's defensive coordinator, who not only developed a historic defense with many overlooked low draft picks but also admitted he found a flaw in Denver's offense, a mole on Mona Lisa. After the game, Quinn and some Seahawks told The Newark Star-Ledger that quarterback Peyton Manning often reveals where he'll throw the ball with his eyes. As explained by the vicious Kam Chancellor, Seattle's fifth-round safety: "It just allowed us to see the routes develop. We were able to jump a few routes. Just see everything that develops in front of you, playing off Peyton's eyes. He takes you right to the ball every time. He's a great quarterback, but he definitely has tendencies and he takes you to the ball."

So that stinks.

But that's what great coaches do: They find weaknesses. I'm not saying that Fox blew the game by not finding Russell Wilson's tell sign. I'm just saying this was another example of the Seahawks' staff rising to the moment.

Maybe it was Namath's fault. The legendary quarterback, draped in a preposterous fur coat, botched the coin toss, flipping before the Seahawks could call heads or tails. The ref caught the flip in the air and Namath did a redo. Seattle called tails, it was tails, the first snap of the game sailed into the end zone for a safety, and when the deferring Seahawks got the third-quarter kickoff, Harvin ran back that thing all the way to Hoboken.

What if that first flip was heads, Denver won and deferred as it is wont to do? Denver was 14-1 when it won the toss this season. Makes you wonder, only for a moment, until you hear Manning's postgame words: "You can 'what if' all you want."

I was told Denver's parade would have been Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on the weather.

Instead, they'll celebrate in Seattle, where it might rain on their parade — which, so it seems, has become a Seattle theme.

Saunders: Broncos-Seahawks Super Bowl the most-watched program in U.S. history By Dusty Saunders The Denver Post February 4, 2014

The Broncos had a consolation victory Sunday.

They participated in the most-watched program in U.S. television history, according to Fox Sports figures and Nielsen ratings.

Super Bowl XLVIII was watched by an average audience of 111.5 million people, surpassing the previous mark of 111.3 million set by the more closely contested Super Bowl XLVI (New York Giants vs. New England Patriots) in 2012 aired on NBC.

Sunday's game also was the most-watched program ever on Fox.

In Denver, the game produced the Broncos' highest audience share of the season — 85.7, with the highest quarter hour from 5:30-5:45 p.m., reaching a 90.2 share.

The game registered an overall 92 share in Seattle.

An audience share is based on the number of television homes in a given area watching television and tuned into a particular program.

Nationally, the game registered a 69 audience share.

The ratings record is further evidence of live events becoming dependable and valuable properties for broadcast television at a time when the audience is fragmenting and ratings for regular entertainment shows continue to fall.

"Big-event television is a great way for people to have a communal event, to talk about it socially and to talk about it as a group," said Bill Wanger, executive vice president for programming and research at Fox Sports, told The Associated Press. "You see that in the Super Bowl numbers of the past four or five years. They've just gone up to a different level."

The game also set standards for the most-streamed sports event online and, with 24.9 million tweets, the biggest U.S. live tele- vision event on Twitter.

"We were a little surprised, absolutely," Wanger told The Associated Press. The blowout had some at Fox worried that enough people would tune out in the fourth

quarter to ruin any chance at a ratings record. So when Percy Harvin ran back the opening kickoff of the second half for a touchdown to give the Seahawks a 29-0 lead, "let's just say we weren't popping champagne bottles," Wanger said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Mistakes, miscalculations doom Denver's chances By Arnie Stapleton The Associated Press February 3, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) — The seeds of Denver's stunning Super Bowl self-destruction were planted during Wednesday's practice when coach John Fox decided to turn down the speakers that simulate crowd noise because "it's not an away game."

A silent snap count would have been so much better because Seattle's famed 12th Man showed up on Denver's first play from scrimmage and helped ruin whatever great game plan offensive coordinator Adam Gase and Peyton Manning had come up with.

Instead of thwarting the Seahawks' stingy secondary and stout front seven, the Broncos fell apart.

MetLife Stadium might not have been as loud as CenturyLink Field, but it was plenty spirited as the start of all Super Bowls are and when Manning lined up in the shotgun and called for the ball from his 14-yard line, his center couldn't hear the cadence.

Manny Ramirez crouched still and just as Manning stepped up to reset the play, Ramirez's snap sailed into the north end zone, where running back Knowshon Moreno smothered it for a safety.

"None of us heard the snap count," Ramirez said. "I thought I did and when I snapped it, I guess Peyton was actually trying to walk up to me at the time. I'm not 100 percent sure. It's unfortunate things didn't go as planned."

"Nobody's fault," Manning said. "It was just a noise issue."

Twelve seconds in, the Broncos trailed and never recovered on their way to a humbling 43-8 blowout by the swarming Seahawks, a remarkable rout of the highest-scoring team in NFL history.

"That's the way the start of any Super Bowl, it's going to be loud," said Wes Welker, now 0-3 in Super Bowls. "The fans are going to be yelling. They don't really know why they're yelling. It's just the start of the Super Bowl. We didn't prepare very well for that and it showed."

Of all the mistakes and miscalculations that led to Denver's dud of a Super Bowl, this one especially hurts because this team takes such pride in preparing for every little possibility.

At the Jets' practice facility Wednesday, Fox had his team run several live drills with eight speakers on one side of the field blaring crowd noise to help with concentration, but he didn't turn them on full blast.

"Normally, it's about five times louder than that," explained Fox, who had coached in the Super Bowl as the Giants' defensive coordinator and the head coach of the Carolina Panthers. "It's not an away game. The ones I've been to haven't been too loud. So we just kind of practice with what we think we're going to get."

The Broncos' self-inflicted mistakes were only just beginning.

Pressured relentlessly, Manning would lose a fumble and throw two interceptions, including one that game MVP Malcolm Smith returned for a 69-yard touchdown that made it 22-0 at halftime.

"This was our worst execution all year," said tight end Julius Thomas, one of a record five Broncos who had scored double-digit touchdowns during a record-shattering 606-point season.

"We just never found a rhythm offensively," added wide receiver Eric Decker. "We got behind and we had to cut down on what our game plan was and couldn't do certain things."

While Bruno Mars was crooning at halftime, the Broncos still believed they could make President Barack Obama look good when he predicted a close game in a pre-Super Bowl interview with Bill O'Reilly.

The Seahawks needed all of 12 seconds to score after the break, too.

Matt Prater, who led the league by a wide margin with 81 touchbacks on kickoffs, pooched the kickoff in an apparent attempt to keep it out of Percy Harvin's hands.

Harvin, however, gathered it at the 13 and raced 87 yards for the score that made it 29-0.

The Broncos were effectively finished, although Manning would go on to complete a Super Bowl record 34 passes and Demaryius Thomas would catch a Super Bowl record 13 of them for 118 yards and a touchdown — Manning's 100th in two years for Denver.

Manning's other losses with the Broncos were by six, six, 10, three, six, three and seven points — 41 altogether — almost as much as in the Super Bowl.

"We worked hard to get to this point and overcame a lot of obstacles to get here, putting in a lot of hard work," Manning said. "It is a really good thing just to have this opportunity, but certainly to finish this way is very disappointing.

"It is not an easy pill to swallow, but eventually you have to."

Seahawks put Super Bowl away early, ads were safe By Rick Freeman The Associated Press February 3, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) — The Seahawks pretty much ruined everyone's fun but their own.

Their safety 12 seconds into the game got everyone excited, but the only play that came close to matching it started off the second half — and Percy Harvin's kick return pretty much finished off the Broncos.

After that, there wasn't much left to do but hope for some good commercials, a strategy that yielded some nice moments, but nothing that you can't see on YouTube.

Here's a look back at the Super Bowl on Sunday night, from the transit gaffes to the commercials, halftime show and — oh yeah — the game itself.

___

RETRO BLOWOUT: It has been awhile since the NFL's championship game has been such an absurdly one-sided affair.

Football fans who remember the 1980s and 1990s recall watching teams — the Broncos often among them — get slaughtered on Super Bowl Sunday. In those days, it was pretty much a given that the big game would be over by halftime. Over the last decade, though, a series of fantastic finishes and improbable moments have gotten everyone accustomed to drama.

Not on Sunday night. The Seahawks' 43-8 win was a throwback, for sure. The only bigger losses were New England's 46-10 defeat to Chicago and Denver's 55-10 thrashing by San Francisco in 1990. The 35-point margin tied the Bills' 52-17 loss to Dallas in 1993.

___

MANNING AGONISTES: Peyton Manning always seems to be judged by the next game. Win one big game, and it's the next one just out of reach that really matters.

In the Super Bowl he never really had much of a chance. The game's first snap flew by his head before he could react, and the Seahawks had a safety and a 2-0 lead 12 seconds into the game.

"It's not the way you want to start a game," Manning said. "For whatever reason we couldn't get anything going after that."

Down only two scores, the Broncos could have made it a game, but Manning got hit as he threw, the ball fluttered into Malcolm Smith's grasp and the linebacker returned it for a touchdown and just like that, the Broncos were down 22-0 at halftime.

Oh, and then Manning got to watch as Harvin returned the second-half kickoff for a TD.

"To finish this way is very disappointing," Manning said. "It's a bitter pill to swallow."

___

AMERICAN INDUSTRY: Many advertisers played it safe by avoiding anything gaudy or puerile— and by wrapping themselves in the flag.

Coca-Cola showcased America's diversity with a spot that showed scenes of natural beauty and families of different ethnicities to the tune of "America the Beautiful" being sung in different languages.

Chrysler debuted a two-minute ad starring Bob Dylan, who discusses the virtues of having cars built in Detroit, a theme that it has struck with in previous ads with Eminem and Clint Eastwood. "Let Germany brew your beer. Let Asia assemble your phone. We will build your car," Dylan says in the ad.

And Budweiser went right for the emotional heart with two ads. One was about a military homecoming that was followed by a live shot of the officer from the ad sitting in the stands, another was about a puppy who didn't want to be separated from his friend, one of the Budweiser Clydesdales.

___

DIG THIS JAM: When people weren't griping about not knowing who Bruno Mars was, they were finding themselves impressed by the 28-year-old pop star's showmanship.

As AP Music Writer Chris Talbott put it "tens of millions got their first chance to see why he's one of the most exciting live acts of his generation."

Mars made his first appearance bashing away at his drum kit, then segued into his catchy hit "Locked Out of Heaven" before going into "Treasure" and "Runaway Baby."

After that, he was joined by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who cavorted shirtless on stage as they joined the man who was still a child when the song they played, "Give It Away," was a hit.

___

NO TIME FOR TRAFFIC PROBLEMS: Fans on the way to the game collapsed from overcrowding and heat at Secaucus Junction, where TSA-style security checks created a bottleneck on the way to the game.

Fans converged on the rail station for the return trip, clogging the platform as trains loaded and left when full. NJ Transit said a second platform was opened to accommodate the crowds. More than an hour after Seattle completed its 43-8 victory over Denver, long delays remained for crowds trying to leave the stadium area.

Nearly 28,000 fans rode the rails from Secaucus Junction, where all trains connect to MetLife Stadium. That's nearly double projections by event organizers, and well above the previous New Jersey Transit record of 22,000 set at a 2009 U2 concert.

At an average New York Giants or New York Jets game, about 8,000 people take the trains.

Waiting for a train, Seattle natives Jeff Chapman, 40, and childhood friend Willie Whitmore, 39, were anxious to get home.

"This is a joke," griped Chapman, an engineer. "We're not even from here and we could've told you this would've happened."

"What do you expect when you don't give people any other option to get home," added Whitmore, a project manager. "It's ridiculous."

Dan Steidl, 27, from Green Bay, Wis., was waiting for 45 minutes with very little movement.

"This is terrible," he said. "I'm ready to get out of here, but I don't know when that'll happen."

A NJ Transit spokesman told The Associated Press early Monday that nearly 25,000 passengers had been moved to Secaucus by midnight, two hours after the game, and that overall it was a "tremendous success," considering the volume of passengers transported without accident or incident.

5 things to know after Seahawks win Super Bowl By Dennis Waszak Jr. The Associated Press February 3, 2014

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Pete Carroll stood in the center of the locker room and gathered his Seattle Seahawks around him.

They were Super Bowl champions, and they had the Lombardi Trophy after routing the Denver Broncos 43-8 on Sunday night.

After a rah-rah speech and Carroll shouting out some players' names, the entire team joined in a chant: "We all we got! We all we need! We all we got! We all we need!"

And that could be the case for a while for these Seahawks, who could be a force to be reckoned with next season and beyond.

"Obviously, we feel like we have a very strong foundation and we're very excited about our future," Seahawks general manager John Schneider said. "We talk about being a consistent championship-caliber football team and for our fans, that means you have hope every year that your team is going to be in it."

The Seahawks (16-3) have their first Super Bowl victory, and there's reason to think they might at least contend for a few more. They're young and built around a dynamic quarterback in Russell Wilson, who has a ring in his second season, and a stingy defense that ranks as the league's best.

Wide receivers Golden Tate and Doug Baldwin are free agents this offseason, but Seattle has most of its main playmakers on both sides of the ball under contract through at least next season.

"Once I get success like this, I want more success," safety Earl Thomas said. "It's just a great feeling. When you're at the top, you just want to stay at the top because everybody is gunning for you."

Peyton Manning and the Broncos certainly know the feeling. After the high-scoring offense set records this season, it fizzled against the Seahawks.

"We needed to play really well in order to win, and we didn't come anywhere close to that," Manning said. "We weren't sharp offensively from the very get-go."

Manning, who turns 38 next month, won't have many more opportunities to win a second Super Bowl. The Broncos also have several key players scheduled to be free agents, such as Knowshon Moreno and Eric Decker, so the window for Denver as a franchise might be closing quickly.

"We just didn't play like we're capable of," said John Elway, the Broncos' executive vice president of football operations. "I was disappointed. Hopefully we'll learn from this. It started tough. We just couldn't seem to get it going."

Here five other things to know from the Seahawks' Super Bowl victory over the Broncos:

MISERABLE MANNING: This was easily Manning's worst day of the season.

He was sacked for the first time in the playoffs, threw two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown, lost a fumble and turned it over on downs. There was talk all week about how Manning threw "ducks" — and he had a few more of those wobbly passes in this game despite setting a Super Bowl record with 34 completions.

It was an ominous sign when Manny Ramirez's snap sailed over his head on the first play from scrimmage — that turned into a safety and a 2-0 lead for Seattle just 12 seconds in for the fastest score in Super Bowl history.

"The turnover on the first play of the game to give them a safety is not the way you want to start a game," Manning said. "For whatever reason, we couldn't get much going after that."

LEGION OF BOOM: Seattle's stingy defense played as advertised.

Richard Sherman & Co. controlled this game from the start, causing four turnovers and making the Broncos' record-setting offense look uncomfortable and merely ordinary.

Malcolm Smith was selected the game's MVP after he returned an interception of Manning 69 yards for a touchdown in the first half, then recovered a fumble in the second half.

"You can never expect it, but I wasn't really shocked. I expected us to stand up," Sherman said. "I didn't expect us to give up a whole lot of points. It's not our standard to give up a whole lot of points. We haven't done it all year. We knew we would play sound football."

SUDDEN IMPACT: It took until the Super Bowl, but Percy Harvin finally played a full game healthy.

And, boy, did he make up for lost time.

After missing most of the season with injuries and the NFC championship game with a concussion, Harvin had two runs for 45 yards, and opened the second half with an 87-yard kickoff return for a score to give Seattle a 29-0 lead 12 seconds into the third quarter.

"It's just a big horse off my back," a smiling Harvin said. "I finally was able to give my team something for four quarters."

WINNING WILSON: Ben Roethlisberger, Tom Brady and Kurt Warner have some company.

Wilson joined them as the only quarterbacks to win Super Bowl titles within their first two seasons. He completed 18 of 25 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for another 26 yards.

"He's a baller," Tate said.

Wilson had three offensive possessions in the first half and led Seattle to points on all three. Seattle punted only one time in the game and did all that with Marshawn Lynch running for only 39 yards.

WHAT WEATHER WORRIES? The first outdoor Super Bowl at a cold-weather site turned out to be unseasonably warm.

The National Weather Service said that temperatures were 10 to 15 degrees above normal, and the 49-degree temperature at kickoff made it only the third-coldest Super Bowl. Many feared that snow, ice and frigid temperatures would detract from the game usually held in either warm-weather cities or in a domed stadium.

It all proved to be unfounded — at least by a day. Snow was forecast for Monday morning.

___

AP Pro Football Writers Howard Fendrich, Arnie Stapleton and Barry Wilner, and AP Sports Writers Tim Booth, Tom Canavan and Rachel Cohen contributed.

Super Bowl fans bet record $119M at Nevada casinos By Hannah Dreier The Associated Press February 4, 2014

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Gamblers wagered a record $119.4 million at Nevada casinos on the Super Bowl, allowing sportsbooks to reap an unprecedented profit as the betting public lost out in Seattle's rout of the Peyton Manning-led Denver Broncos.

Unaudited tallies showed sportsbooks made an unprecedented profit of $19.7 million on the action, the Gaming Control Board announced Monday. That's millions more than the past three Super Bowl wins combined.

The Denver Broncos were a 2.5-point favorite, but the Seattle Seahawks took the championship 43-8.

Oddsmakers said Peyton Manning fans drove the unprecedented handle, flooding Las Vegas and northern Nevada with wagers on the favored team and its veteran quarterback, who was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player for the 2013 season the day before the game. Many believed Manning was primed for a big game after his record-setting year.

The previous record for the amount of bets placed, or the handle, was set last year, when gamblers wagered $98.9 million on the Super Bowl between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers.

The last record for casino win was set in 2005, when sportsbooks won $15.4 million.

Some oddsmakers said they lost out on proposition bets, including whether a safety would be the first score of the game. Casinos paid out at 8-to-1 for the safety. Fans who bet that the first score would be on a safety cashed in at 60-to-1. It was the third year in a row that sportsbooks have been hit on the safety bet.

"The safety is no longer in my vocabulary," said Johnny Avello, who runs the luxurious sportsbook at Wynn.

The 51 points scored in New Jersey exceeded the over/under of 47.5. Most of the bets came in on the under side, meaning that fans thought the total points scored would remain below 47.5, and it was the Bronco's late two-point conversion that put casinos on the winning side of the wager.

But that maneuver also cost sportsbooks, which had put the probability of a two-point conversion at about 5-1.

"The betting public certainly had their moments in this game. Some of the props that they bet on every year came through and they were rewarded," said Jay Kornegay, who runs the LVH sportsbook.

Casinos also lost out on the coin toss, that most ridiculous of Super Bowl props. While fans usually choose heads, this year, most of the money came in on tails.

Still, casinos retained an average of 16.5 percent of the millions wagered, far more than the average hold during the past decade.

Nevada sportsbooks have lost only twice on the Super Bowl in the past 20 years, most recently in 2008, when the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots, costing casinos a record $2.6 million.

Meanwhile, sports betting has become increasingly popular, with the handle increasing during nine of the past 10 years in Nevada. Football is consistently the most popular sport to put money on, and the Super Bowl is the most important day of a sportsbook's year.

Oddsmakers released numbers for next year's Super Bowl before fans even had time to stumble back to their hotel rooms Sunday night. The Seahawks, Broncos and 49ers are the favored teams, according to RJ Bell of Las Vegas-based Pregame.com.

Manning foundation netting $42,500 for 2 'Omahas' By The Associated Press February 3, 2014

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A coalition of businesses will donate $42,500 to a youth foundation for the two "Omaha" shouts by Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning that could be heard during the Super Bowl.

Nebraska's largest city was in the national spotlight recently as a result of Manning's use of "Omaha" as a code word when he calls an audible before the ball is snapped. To say thanks for the shout-outs and free publicity, the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce coordinated a fundraising effort for Manning's foundation for at-risk youth.

The chamber said Monday that 17 local businesses agreed to donate $2,500 each for a Super Bowl total of $42,500. Eight businesses also donated $24,800 for Manning's 31 "Omahas" in the AFC championship game.

The "PeyBack Foundation" is receiving a total of $67,300.

Ala store giving $70K in refunds after Super Bowl By Jon Anderson The Associated Press February 3, 2014

GARDENDALE, Ala. (AP) — The Super Bowl safety that shocked football fans across the country scored about $70,000 in refunds for customers of a Birmingham-area jeweler.

Jeff Dennis Jewelers ran a promotion over the past two weeks that promised all of his customers a cash refund on their purchases if a safety was scored in the Super Bowl by either team. And they would get to keep their jewelry.

Then, on the first snap of the game tonight, the center snapped the ball over Peyton Manning's head. The ball was recovered in the end zone by the Broncos, resulting in a safety for the Seattle Seahawks. It was the fastest scoring play in Super Bowl history, just 12 seconds into the game.

A safety occurred in the previous two Super Bowls but had happened in only three other Super Bowls in the game's history.

Dennis and his customers, even those that are Broncos fans, are cheering. Dennis has an insurance policy through Lloyd's of London that covers all the refunds. All he had to pay was a premium on the policy.

"I'm ecstatic," Dennis said. "I can't put it into words. It's unbelievable."

This is the third such promotion that has paid dividends for Dennis in the past three years.

In November 2012, Dennis ran a promotion that offered refunds to any customers who bought jewelry the week before the Iron Bowl if either Alabama or Auburn shut out the other team. When the Crimson Tide beat the Tigers 49-0, Lloyd's of London had to shell out about $55,000 worth of refunds to 303 of Dennis' customers.

Then on Labor Day of last year, Dennis offered refunds to every customer who bought jewelry in his store between Aug. 1 and Aug. 26 if it rained more than 1 inch on Labor Day at the National Weather Service monitoring station at the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport. It rained more than 1.4 inches, and 592 customers got refunds from Lloyd's of London totaling almost $90,000.

Each time, many of the customers who received refunds turned around and spent the money back in his store, he said.

This time, about 400 customers will be getting refunds, Dennis said. Some of the purchases were for $30 or $40 bracelets, but there were numerous customers who spent several thousand dollars, including one $6,000 purchase, he said.

One couple put half the amount down for their engagement rings with the intention of letting the refund pay for the other half, he said.

Brian Nunnally of Kimberly is one of Dennis' happy customers. When the safety was scored, he jumped up excitedly and ran into the bedroom where his wife, Gracie, was and then realized she didn't know why he was so excited.

He had bought her a floating pendant necklace from Jeff Dennis Jewelers as a Valentine's Day gift, and while she had given him a potential gift wish list at his request, she didn't know what he had bought, he said.

"She knew about the promotion, so she figured out what was going on - that a safety had occurred in the game," he said.

He was so happy that he went ahead and gave her the necklace tonight. And now they're due for a refund of about $260, he said.

"I just couldn't believe it," Nunnally said. "We're definitely happy about it .... We really do appreciate Jeff."

Dennis said he just thought of this promotion two weeks ago, so he was only able to promote it on Facebook. The snow and ice storm that hit central Alabama last week kept him shut down a couple of days during the promotion, but he ended the week with strong sales the past couple of days, he said.

Dennis said he loves the fact that his customers are so happy with these promotions.

"People like to shop where it's fun, and this has been very successful for us," he said.

His business has grown tremendously over the past year.

"The exposure of something like this you just can't buy," he said. "It's put my name in front of a lot of people ... I just feel blessed. I really do."

National media picked up on the last two promotions and likely will be interested in this one, too, he said.

Dennis had just sat down in his recliner at home to watch the game when the safety occurred. It was very nerve-wracking while he waited to make sure the Broncos had recovered the ball and the referees sorted through a penalty that eventually was waived, he said.

Then things went wild.

"My phone is blowing up" with text messages and Facebook messages, he said. "It's been absolutely crazy, and it's going to get crazier."

Upon Further Review: Broncos Super Bowl By Jeff Legwold ESPN.com February 3, 2014

An examination of four hot issues from the Denver Broncos' 43-8 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII. End of the line: The Broncos were obviously successful during the regular season in their three-wideout look as they rewrote the offensive side of the league’s record book, but the Seahawks offered an entirely different challenge across the line of scrimmage. The Broncos played in a three-wide-receiver look for all but two snaps in the game. And while the Broncos protected quarterback Peyton Manning well throughout the season when they played in that open look, they did not handle that business against the Seahawks. The Seattle defensive front repeatedly folded in the edges of the Broncos' formation, especially when Cliff Avril forced Manning into the interception that Malcolm Smith returned for a touchdown, and pushed the middle as well. The results were seen in Manning's numbers as he was under duress for much of the game and played like it.

No freedom: The Seahawks' physical secondary won the close-quarters battles with the Broncos' receivers and won it by a large margin. Seattle's defensive backs were physical along the line of scrimmage and limited the Broncos' yards after the catch, which had been a staple of Denver's catch-and-run offense all season. Demaryius Thomas may have finished with a Super Bowl record 13 receptions, but he also finished with a season-low 9.1 yards per catch. The Seahawks also kept the ball out of Eric Decker's hands as he never quite worked himself free. Decker finished with one catch for 6 yards. Tight end Julius Thomas finished with just 6.8 yards per catch. In the first quarter when the game got away the Broncos had no yards gained after the catch. Low pressure: This has been a recurring issue over the Broncos' last three playoff exits. To close out the 2011 season the Broncos did not sack Tom Brady as he finished with 363 yards passing and six touchdown passes. To close out the 2012 season the Broncos sacked Joe Flacco just once as he finished with 331 yards passing and three touchdowns. And Sunday night the Broncos did not sack Russell Wilson as he finished with 206 yards -- just seven incompletions -- and two touchdowns. The Broncos also had one interception in those three playoff games combined. Von Miller, Kevin Vickerson, Chris Harris Jr. and Derek Wolfe being on

injured reserve certainly didn't help the Broncos' cause Sunday night, but by the time the game was deep into the third quarter the Broncos had hit Wilson just once on a dropback. The Broncos will have to give a long look toward addressing a defensive issue that has been a big part of their last three playoff losses. Not special: After a spectacular start to the season -- two blocked punts, two touchdown returns by Trindon Holliday as well as a touchdown on one of the blocked punts over the first four games -- the Broncos' special-teams play slowly dissolved as the season wore on. Holliday didn't consistently handle the ball well and the Broncos didn't consistently play with discipline in coverage. It all showed up against the Seahawks as Holliday, who was inconsistent in his decision-making in the kicking game, almost lost a fumble. (He was ruled down before the ball came out.) The Broncos surrendered a kickoff return for a touchdown to open the second half and didn't give themselves a chance to recover a poorly executed onside kick in the fourth quarter.

Snow foolin': NFL lucked out on the weather By Jane McManus ESPNNewYork.com February 3, 2014

NEW YORK -- The NFL dodged a blizzard. About eight hours after the Seattle Seahawks trounced the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII, a storm warning for the New York and New Jersey region was in effect. It may not have been the textbook definition of a blizzard, but the snow fell quickly enough that by 8 a.m., city streets were a mess of slush and flights in and out of the three major airports began to be delayed or canceled. Up to 10 inches are forecast in some places near MetLife Stadium, which had been a balmy 49 degrees at kickoff -- short of the record low for a Super Bowl by a full 10 degrees. It was literally the calm before the storm. Fans who had celebrated with the Seahawks or commiserated with the Broncos are facing the prospect of an unexpectedly extended stay as travel plans were upended. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell acknowledged on Monday that the last leg of hosting this Super Bowl is to get people back home.

"Obviously our work continues today as we work to get our fans back out of town and back home," Goodell said at a morning news conference for Seattle coach Pete Carroll and Super Bowl MVP Malcolm Smith. If this storm had happened a day earlier, it may not have canceled the game, but road traffic to the stadium could have been delayed. Even on Monday, spinouts and tow trucks peppered area highways. On Sunday those accidents would have caused significant problems for fans trying to get to and from MetLife. But that didn’t happen, and the truth is that things went pretty smoothly as long as you didn’t opt to get to the game by train. New Jersey Transit riders faced huge bottlenecks at the Secaucus junction and at the stadium after the game, turning a short trip into a two-hour ordeal for some. Ultimately, the NFL was prepared for a weather event that didn’t happen -- at least not on Super Bowl Sunday. The New York/New Jersey host committee may even be drafting its next Super Bowl bid right now.

"New York is the center of the world as far as I'm concerned, and there's no reason we shouldn't be hosting these mega-events," committee co-chair and New York Jets owner Woody Johnson said in October. And New York Giants co-owner John Mara told ESPN New York's Ian O'Connor on Sunday that he wants to do it all again. But that doesn’t mean another cold weather Super Bowl is a good idea. An analogy sent my way went like this: You can ride around in a car without a seat belt and not get into an accident, but that doesn’t mean it’s smart. At some point, the odds will catch up with you. In the Northeast, the odds are plenty good for snow in February, according to Bill Evans, a meteorologist with WABC-TV. “These types of storms are common to the New York City area in February and timing is crucial,” Evans said on Monday. “Sometimes we do not have the lead time that we did with this particular storm. All winter long this year we have these storms blowing up with great intensity with sometimes less than 48 hours notice on some of the models.” Two more snow events may be heading to the region later this week. “The timing was very fortuitous for the Super Bowl," Evans said. "Mother Nature is obviously a football fan.” This time around, anyway. Now be sure to check with your carrier, and good luck getting home.

Early Super Bowl favorites for 2014 Seahawks have youth on their side, but talent-rich NFC boasts plenty of threats

By John Clayton ESPN.com February 3, 2014

The Seattle Seahawks reached rarefied air Sunday night.

They became the fifth-youngest team to play in a Super Bowl. Don't underestimate the significance of that. The youngest team was the 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers, and they won three more Super Bowls over the next five years. The 1981 San Francisco 49ers, the second-youngest team, won three more Super Bowls over the next eight years.

The 1971 Miami Dolphins lost Super Bowl VI as the third-youngest team and then came back to win back-to-back Super Bowls and had a five-year run in which they won 57 games. The 1985 Chicago Bears were the fourth-youngest team, and they and won 52 games in a four-year stretch.

Does that mean we'll see a Seahawks dynasty? It's debatable. The biggest thing standing in their way is the salary cap. All four of those aforementioned runs were in the pre-salary-cap era.

The only franchises to repeat as Super Bowl champs in the cap era are the Dallas Cowboys (1992-93), Denver Broncos (1997-98) and New England Patriots (2003-04).

So who are the five teams to watch in the 2014 Super Bowl hunt?

1. Seattle Seahawks: Pete Carroll assembled the essence of a team. Linebacker Malcolm Smith won the Super Bowl MVP, and technically, he's not even a starter. K.J. Wright was the regular-season starter. The Seahawks brought in Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett in free agency, and they didn't even start. The Seahawks are deep, young, fast and talented.

Trying to keep the team deep will be the challenge. The Seahawks have roughly $3 million of cap room, but that will be gone once the Seahawks sign players to future contracts. Carroll already scheduled 2014 planning meetings for Tuesday, the day before the team's celebration parade.

Lots of work is needed. The Seahawks have 10 current players making $6 million a year. At the current cap level, teams can normally keep eight. They might have to cut defensive end Chris Clemons, tight end Zach Miller and wide receiver Sidney

Rice in order to extend contracts for safety Earl Thomas, tackle Russell Okung and others. They could lose Bennett to Chicago, where he could unite with his brother, Martellus. Unsigned are right tackle Breno Giacomini, defensive tackle Tony McDaniel and wide receiver Golden Tate.

But don't underestimate Carroll, GM John Schneider and the Seahawks. They have established a franchise that is a destination point for players. Big-name pass-rushers are willing to come to Seattle for one-year contracts to get sacks and a bigger contract the next year. In an ESPN.com survey, Carroll was voted as the coach players would like to play for the most.

2. San Francisco 49ers: Based on the results of this Super Bowl blowout, it seems the real title game was the NFC Championship Game. The 49ers have been to three consecutive championship games, advancing to the Super Bowl once. Their mission next season is to win the NFC West first and then try to get back to the Super Bowl. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick is expected to be better because he should have Michael Crabtree and tight end Vernon Davis for the whole season.

Coach Jim Harbaugh has to find a way to re-sign Anquan Boldin. The 49ers have $8.2 million of cap room and some interesting decisions. Unsigned are Boldin, cornerback Tarell Brown, center Jonathan Goodwin and safety Donte Whitner. Cornerback Carlos Rogers could be cut for cap purposes, and the team has to hope defensive end Justin Smith wants to play another year. The thought is that he will.

With Seattle, Arizona and St. Louis, the NFC West is a tough division. The core of this team is still young enough to challenge for a trip to the Super Bowl.

3. Denver Broncos: Now that he has re-established himself in Denver, Peyton Manning is doing what he did in Indianapolis. His presence almost automatically puts a team at 12 wins. Because of Manning and a solid front office, the Broncos have been a No. 1 seed for the past two years.

It will be tougher in 2014. Going into the '13 season, the Broncos had the easiest schedule based on 2012 records. Based on 2013 records, the Broncos have the second-toughest schedule, with opponents posting a .570 win percentage. Part of the problem is the AFC West plays the NFC West. To get back to the Super Bowl, the Broncos might have to do it as a lower seed, maybe following an 11-win season.

The Broncos have $5.4 million of cap room. They have plenty of tough decisions. Unsigned are cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, running back Knowshon Moreno, defensive end Robert Ayers, wide receiver Eric Decker, guard Zane Beadles and defensive end Shaun Phillips. But with Manning expected to be back, the Broncos have a chance to be back.

4. New England Patriots: As Tom Brady goes, so go the New England Patriots. Brady won't go through what he experienced in 2013. He entered the regular season minus his five top pass-catchers from 2012. Bill Belichick still has issues in that regard. Tight end Rob Gronkowski is coming off an ACL injury. Julian Edelman is unsigned, and if the Patriots re-sign him, they might have to cut Danny Amendola.

Clearly, the Patriots have to find a No. 2 tight end and upgrade the outside wide receiver position. They are at the cap, so a few players have to be cut. Cornerback Aqib Talib is the Patriots' main coverage cornerback, but he's unsigned. Also unsigned are halfback LeGarrette Blount and linebacker Brandon Spikes.

5. Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals: All right, I cheated to try to squeeze in three more teams, but I had to do it. The Saints made it to the divisional round this past season, and you can't count out Sean Payton. He'll be looking for a left tackle and maybe a right tackle if he doesn't re-sign Zach Strief. The Saints are $14 million over the cap, but they'll get relief when they cut linebacker Will Smith and a couple of other players.

To find other teams to watch, stay in the NFC West and NFC South. Carolina is a franchise on the rise. Cam Newton is maturing into a top-level quarterback. If the front office can upgrade his receiving corps, watch out. The Cardinals and Rams also are on the rise. Arizona coach Bruce Arians stunned everyone by acquiring Carson Palmer and winning 10 games. Although Arians is all about offense, the Cardinals have a talented defense that will only get better with general manager Steve Keim preparing for the draft.

Rams coach Jeff Fisher has the youngest team in football. He has two first-round picks, including the second overall choice in the draft. Quarterback Sam Bradford will be back from an ACL tear.

Store loses $7M with Seahawks' win By Darren Rovell ESPN.com February 3, 2014

Next to the Denver Broncos, Jim McIngvale had the worst Super Bowl loss.

The CEO of Houston-based Gallery Furniture lost $7 million on a promotion that promised to give customers who shopped at his stores their money back if the Seattle Seahawks won Sunday.

But when contacted Monday, McIngvale said he was "thrilled."

In the days leading up to the Super Bowl, Gallery Furniture flipped a coin to determine that the customers would be rooting for the Seahawks while the store would be rooting for the Broncos.

Anyone who spent more than $6,000 and had their furniture delivered by kickoff Sunday would get a full refund if Seattle won. Roughly 1,000 people bought enough to be eligible for the promotion with an average bill of $7,000, and McIngvale said one customer will get $30,000 back as a result of his big purchase.

Companies usually protect themselves from losing big money through promotions like this by taking out insurance, but McIngvale said the gambler in him prevents him from doing that. He acknowledges that losing the money increases the value of the promotion as it further helps his brand break through the clutter and get more media attention.

"Doing a promotion like this creates affinity, creates trust with the customer, makes you relevant," said McIngvale, who is nicknamed "Mattress Mack" and has been known in the marketing community for his renegade promotions. "We already have people sending us videos of them jumping up and down celebrating, so I have no doubt that what we will lose is already worth it to our business."

McIngvale, whose stores have been in business for 32 years, still says $7 million is a significant hit. He said it represents roughly 5 percent of the company's annual revenues.

Customers who want to get their money back will have to wait. The company will have two "refund parties," one Feb. 9 and one Feb. 23.

Peyton Manning, Denver can't recover from Super Bowl mistakes By Lindsay H. Jones USA TODAY Sports February 3, 2014

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Peyton Manning's eyes got wide as the ball zipped past his helmet and into the end zone.

Manning spent the past two weeks trying to envision and work through every possible scenario that he and his Denver Broncos could face in the Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks. It's hard to believe that even once Manning imagined not being able to catch the game's opening snap.

Yet just 12 seconds into Super Bowl XLVIII, before Manning had thrown a pass or handed off to a running back, the Broncos trailed 2-0. For a team that scored 606 points in the regular season, 2-0 hardly seemed insurmountable. Neither did 5-0, or 8-0, nor maybe even 22-0 at halftime — not when Manning could remind his teammates about that time they rallied from down 24-0 to the San Diego Chargers in 2012.

But it was just mistake after mistake after mistake, so many errors, by so many Broncos, that the first snap and safety will be remembered as just the first bad moment in a night filled with them for Denver in the 43-8 loss.

Still, the bad snap was the moment that seemed to change so much for Manning, who on Saturday night received his fifth NFL MVP award.

Suddenly, the quarterback who had been so upbeat in the days leading up to the Super Bowl, telling jokes and stories, reflecting on his career-altering neck surgeries and deflecting talk about potential retirement, was rattled, and his brilliant 2013 season, perhaps the best of his brilliant career, ended with his worst game since signing with the Broncos last year.

"We knew they were fast, it was still a matter of us doing our jobs better and we didn't do that tonight," Manning said.

And it didn't happen from the beginning. Seattle fans roared as Manning lined up for the opening snap of his third Super Bowl. It was so loud that it felt like a road game, yet the Broncos were trying to operate using Manning's cadence rather than a silent snap count.

"We weren't able to. I thought I heard him, and I snapped the ball," Ramirez said. "I was shocked. You never expect anything like that to happen. Of course I'll take full blame for that."

A Denver defender weighed in with his own misgivings.

"They came out right from the jump and punched us around. Anytime you have a team out there that punches you around, you have to punch back. it seemed like the harder we fought, the quicker we failed," Broncos cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie told USA TODAY Sports. "It was like we were in quicksand out there."

The first snap seemed to change so much for Manning, who on Saturday night received his fifth NFL MVP award.

Manning also threw two first-half interceptions, including one that was returned 69 yards for a Seattle touchdown, failed to lead the Broncos to a first down in the first quarter, and lost a fumble in the second half. Both interceptions came on poorly thrown passes – off-target wobblers Manning tossed with Seattle defenders in his face or batting at his arm.

"Certainly to finish this way is very disappointing," Manning said. "It is not an easy pill to swallow, but eventually, you have to."

Those mistakes were Manning's, but he wasn't the only Bronco to falter. Two days after Broncos head coach John Fox said in his final pre-Super Bowl news conference that the "star players have to be great in championship games," few of the Broncos who were so special in leading Denver to its first Super Bowl appearance in 15 years played well.

Seattle, much like it was when the Seahawks blew out the Broncos in a preseason game in August, were the aggressors. Broncos cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, the only Denver defensive player who had played in a prior Super Bowl, only shook his head when asked how to explain such a blowout.

Rodgers-Cromartie said he believed that a team that had already survived – and even thrived – despite the loss of five defensive starters, as well as All-Pro left tackle Ryan Clady, and spent a month without their head coach while he recovered from heart surgery, would be able to overcome Seattle's hot start.

<!--iframe comment-->

The offensive line that had barely allowed Manning to be touched in two AFC playoff games (and hadn't allowed a sack) couldn't handle Seattle's ferocious front seven, as Manning had little time to throw and rarely looked comfortable in the pocket.

Even if there was time for Manning to throw, the Broncos' receivers struggled to get open deep against Seattle's physical defensive backs.

Even the Broncos' best offensive player Sunday, receiver Demaryius Thomas, lost a fumble in the third quarter while trying to extend a 23-yard catch with a stiff-arm to kill the Broncos' first promising drive. Thomas scored the Broncos' first touchdown later in the quarter, on a 14-yard pass from Manning, but that score (and subsequent two-point conversion), only cut Seattle's lead to 36-8.

"What probably hurts more is to turn it over, and turn it over that many times, especially in this game, against a good football team," Broncos executive vice president John Elway said.

Denver's defense, meanwhile, a group that held Tom Brady and the New England Patriots and Philip Rivers and the Chargers to three points each in the first three quarters of their previous playoff games, held Seattle to a pair of early field goals and largely contained Marshawn Lynch, yet struggled against the Seahawks' passing game that was rejuvenated by the return of Percy Harvin.

"He was a factor for them, with his runs, and his speed," Rodgers-Cromartie said.

Harvin, who scored a touchdown on the opening kickoff of the second half, was dangerous on end-around and sweep plays, while Seattle's other receivers found plenty of separation from Denver's defensive backs. When Jermaine Kearse broke four tackles on his way to the end zone on a third-quarter touchdown, Denver's defense was done.

If the Broncos' were devastated by their 2012 playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens – a loss they used as motivation throughout this year – this game left the team and its fans stunned, with good reason. Denver hadn't been held to less than 20 points all season, and had never been blown out in the Manning Era. In 35 previous games, the Broncos lost only seven times, and never by more than 10 points.

"Just a total let down," left tackle Chris Clark said. "It hurts because we're way better than what we showed."

Broncos' offseason decisions include Eric Decker, Knowshon Moreno By Lindsay H. Jones USA TODAY Sports February 3, 2014

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Peyton Manning will return in 2014, playing his 17th NFL season at 38. Despite much discussion during the run-up to the Super Bowl about Manning possibly retiring after the game — much like boss John Elway did 15 years ago — Manning is healthy enough and remains devoted enough to his game and his Denver Broncos teammates that he won't consider quitting.

"I feel better physically," Manning said last week. "I've been rejuvenated playing under a different offense, playing with new receivers, because it keeps me stimulated every day. So I certainly would like to keep playing."

But the Broncos face a tricky offseason in which several of the key pieces who play around Manning are set to become free agents. Denver won't be able to afford all of them, meaning the Broncos offense that set so many records in 2013 could look markedly different in September.

Such is the problem for a successful team with a big-money quarterback. So how do the Broncos avoid being the 2013 Baltimore Ravens, who were forced to part with several big-name veterans after playing in the Super Bowl last season?

Among the Broncos' priorities will be wide receiver Eric Decker, who has had back-to-back 1,000-yard, double-digit touchdown receiving seasons. His 87 catches and 1,288 receiving yards this year were career highs.

Decker should draw considerable attention from teams looking for a talented receiver, and he could entertain those offers to play where he would be the star attraction and top target. In Denver, he's a star off the field and part of an ensemble on it, playing alongside Demaryius Thomas — with whom he is so close that Thomas served as a groomsman in Decker's June wedding — and slot receiver Wes Welker.

The Broncos gave new contracts in 2013 to offensive linemen Ryan Clady, Louis Vasquez, Manny Ramirez and Chris Clark. Now starting left guard Zane Beadles, a Pro Bowler in 2012, is set to become a free agent.

Running back Knowshon Moreno, a 2009 first-round pick who had his first 1,000-yard season in 2013, also will hit the market and seems the most unlikely to return

to the Broncos. Denver used a second-round pick on tailback Montee Ball in 2013, and Ball assumed an increasingly larger role in the offense as the season progressed.

Among the defensive players with expiring contracts are starting right cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who played this season on a one-year, $4 million deal; linebacker and longtime team captain Wesley Woodyard, whose role was reduced to passing downs this season, and defensive end Shaun Phillips, who led the Broncos in sacks with 10½.

But the most interesting defensive decision will be with cornerback Champ Bailey, who is scheduled to make $10 million (and will count $10 million against the salary cap). Expect Bailey, 35, and his agent to meet with Elway soon to discuss their options. Denver cannot afford to keep Bailey with his current contract, especially after he missed most of 2013 with an injury, but he could be willing to negotiate in order to stay.

Bailey had no interest in signing with another team in 2011, the last time his contract was set to expire.

While the Broncos try to figure out if they can afford big deals for Decker and Co., they must also be mindful of the crop of free agents in 2015 — a class that will be even more costly, as the rookie deals for Thomas, tight end Julius Thomas and star pass rusher Von Miller are set to expire.

Peyton Manning is great, but not in this Super Bowl By Jarrett Bell USA TODAY Sports February 3, 2014

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Embarrassed was not the word for Peyton Manning.

"I'll never use that word," Manning said during his post-game news conference on Sunday night, when it was time to try explaining just what went wrong during the debacle that was Super Bowl XLVIII.

"The word 'embarrassing' is an insulting word, to tell you the truth."

Sometimes, it's a matter of perception.

The biggest insult might have been reflected by the final score.

Seattle 43, Denver 8.

What a fine time for Manning – rolling with the highest-scoring offense in NFL history – to have his worst game of the year.

With a championship on the line and more than 100 million viewers, Manning went Least Mode.

The first snap of the game whizzed past Manning as he attempted to switch the play at the line of scrimmage, and when Knowshon Moreno covered in the end zone for a safety, the Seattle Seahawks had a quick lead, two-zip, 12 seconds into the game.

You may have imagined that Manning could be involved in the fastest opening score in Super Bowl history, but not quite like that. His center, Manny Ramirez, jumped the shotgun snap.

Chalk one up for the 12th Man.

It was the noise. Ramirez couldn't hear Manning's cadence as he barked signals.

He thought he heard something and snapped the ball.

"None of us heard the snap count," Ramirez said. "I thought I did."

What an omen.

On Saturday night, it was officially revealed (finally) at a glitzy, made-for-TV NFL event, that Manning won his record fifth MVP award.

On Sunday night, he was treated like a scrub by the NFL's best defense.

Did someone mention ducks?

The first pick, late in the first quarter, was a wobbly throw over the middle that lost its way and fluttered over Julius Thomas' head. It landed softly into the hands of safety Kam Chancellor.

The next interception, late in the second quarter, was caused by speed-rushing Cliff Avril, who crashed into Manning as the pocket collapsed. The ball floated to Malcolm Smith – the same linebacker whose deflected pickoff in the end zone sealed the NFC title game victory against the San Francisco 49ers -- who ran it back 69 yards for the 22-zip lead.

It was the longest interception return for a touchdown in a Super Bowl since Tracy Porter's 74-yard runback late in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLIV, which sealed the New Orleans Saints victory.

Manning was the quarterback for that pick-six, too.

Time for a quick legacy check. The facts are rather cruel. Manning has more regular-season MVP awards than anyone in history, and in 2013 passed for more TDs (55) and yards (5,477) in a season than anyone in history. And he owns dozens of other records.

Manning still ranks as one of the greatest quarterbacks ever.

He can try again next year to become the first quarterback to win Super Bowls with two franchises.

But at the moment, Manning has a losing career postseason record (11-12) and a 1-2 Super Bowl mark. And he can't reverse the historical trend that mandates that great defenses manhandle great offenses and their marquee quarterbacks.

On Sunday night, he made the mistakes that the kid quarterback on the other side didn't.

Manning committed three turnovers – the two picks and a fumble – while second-year Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson had a flawless, turnover-free night.

Wilson posted a 123.1 passer rating, compared to Manning's subpar 73.5 rating.

But the stats weren't half as bad as the reality of the outcome.

"I don't know if you ever really get over it," Manning said. "It's a difficult pill to swallow."

The importance of that was underscored during Super Bowl XLVIII.

A legacy isn't determined by one game alone.

And in Manning's case, a deflating moment isn't all on the quarterback, either.

It should be duly noted that he had plenty of help with the Broncos' meltdown.

Or as tight end Julius Thomas put it, it would be wrong to point the finger at Manning.

"By no means are we blaming him," Thomas said. "Peyton's the reason we're here."

The Broncos' offensive line didn't allow its first sack of the postseason until the final four minutes of the Super Bowl.

Sometimes, statistics lie.

Manning was pestered all night long, moved off of that precious spot in the pocket by guys like Avril and Chris Clemons. He was forced into errors and bad throws, the timing disrupted in a bad way.

It was a night to remember, that's for sure.

Manning set a Super Bowl record against the Seahawks for completions in a game. And his favored target, Demaryius Thomas set a Super Bowl record for receptions in a game.

But sometimes, the statistics lie.

And at the worst time.

10 biggest questions for the 2014 NFL season By Tom Pelissero USA TODAY Sports February 3, 2014

Super Bowl XLVIII is in the books and the NFL offseason is underway — which just means business as usual at team headquarters around the league.

Waivers resumed Monday. Draft meetings are underway. The scouting combine starts in a little more than two weeks. Then it's on to the new league year and the start of free agency March 11.

What are the biggest questions for 2014? USA TODAY Sports' Tom Pelissero ponders them.

1. Can the Seattle Seahawks repeat?

The short answer: Absolutely. They showed Sunday their intimidation can travel and their defense can dominate even the best. There are some tough decisions ahead for general manager John Schneider, who must trim the fat to lock up the likes of cornerback Richard Sherman and safety Earl Thomas for the long haul. But the core will be intact for 2014, and it's hard to argue that alone won't make Seattle the best threat in years to go back-to-back.

2. Has the Denver Broncos' time has passed?

Not unless quarterback Peyton Manning decides to call it quits after one of the worst games in his illustrious career. But the Broncos sure seemed to lack juice on both sides of the ball in Sunday's Super Bowl against a younger, faster, more physical team. That may have an impact on how John Elway tweaks the roster going forward, given his commitment thus far to investing in experienced depth as long as Manning's under center.

3. What kind of market will develop in free agency?

Mega-deals were scarce last year and it could be more of the same come March, depending how many of the top players get taken out of the pool via franchise tags and extensions. New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham tops a list that includes numerous notable names: Michael Vick, Knowshon Moreno, Maurice Jones-Drew, Darren McFadden, Hakeem Nicks, Eric Decker, Anquan Boldin, Branden Albert, Eugene Monroe, Greg Hardy, Michael Johnson, Jared Allen, Brian Orakpo, Brent Grimes, Alterraun Verner, T.J. Ward and Jairus Byrd, among others.

4. Who will be the No. 1 pick?

New Houston Texans coach Bill O'Brien needs a quarterback and can take his pick of Teddy Bridgewater, Johnny Manziel or someone else. But the best player in this draft may not be a QB, raising the possibility Houston could go another direction — Jadeveon Clowney on the same defensive line as J.J. Watt? — or deal down for more bites at the apple. After last season's plummet to 2-14 that got Gary Kubiak canned, they need plenty of help.

5. Who will be this year's Kansas City Chiefs?

Don't sleep on Lovie Smith using his steady personality and experience to straighten out a talented Tampa Bay Buccaneers team, just as Andy Reid did last year in Kansas City. In both cases, the big question is the quarterback — a hole the Chiefs filled via trade for Alex Smith. The Minnesota Vikings don't have a long-term answer at QB either, but they have enough young play-makers to give them a chance if Mike Zimmer can fix the defense.

Marvin Lewis and the Bengals will have a tough time repeating as AFC North champs after losing both coordinators.(Photo: Trevor Ruszkowski, USA TODAY Sports)

6. Who is bound to take a step back?

Losing both coordinators — Zimmer to Minnesota, plus Jay Gruden to the Washington Redskins — will challenge Marvin Lewis and the Cincinnati Bengals to continue their ascent in a division that doesn't figure to be down for long. Pressure has never been higher on quarterback Andy Dalton after a third straight playoff flop. The Baltimore Ravens should be back in the hunt after a transition year. The Pittsburgh Steelers improved down the stretch. And the Cleveland Browns, for all the weirdness, are building a solid nucleus.

7. Will the Dallas Cowboys finally make their move?

If they don't, Jason Garrett should be put out of his mediocrity — but the same could've been said this past season, when they couldn't keep the rebuilding Philadelphia Eagles from taking the NFC East. Garrett has to rank near the top of any preliminary hot-seat rankings, alongside fellow 2013 survivors Joe Philbin of the Miami Dolphins and Dennis Allen of the Oakland Raiders.

8. When will young studs get paid?

The window opened Dec. 30 for teams to negotiate extensions with 2011 draft picks — the first group subject to new restrictions under the collective-bargaining agreement. Will teams put enough on the table to secure the likes of Cam Newton,

A.J. Green, Patrick Peterson, Julio Jones, Watt, Robert Quinn or Colin Kaepernick for the long haul a year early? The window for exercising fifth-year options on first-round picks' rookie deals closes May 3.

9. Will instant replay get a facelift?

Commissioner Roger Goodell acknowledged Friday the competition committee will consider whether to centralize at least some aspects of the replay review process. That has the potential to not only improve consistency, but shorten delays as well.

10. Is the NFC poised to regain dominance?

Everyone who said Seahawks-49ers was the real Super Bowl looked smart Sunday in a game that resembled the NFC-dominated mismatches of the 1980s and '90s. Manning and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady remain capable of elevating the players around them, but for how long? Andrew Luck is the best hope for the next generation, but there's work to be done before the Indianapolis Colts can be considered title contenders. Four of the past five titles have gone to NFC teams.

Monday Observations: Smith as SB MVP? OK, but Wilson was better By Jason La Canfora CBSSports.com February 3, 2014

NEW YORK -- The more I reflect upon Sunday night's Super Bowl, the more I believe Russell Wilson should have been the MVP. I understand why linebacker Malcolm Smith got the award -- and certainly, as a unit, the Seattle Seahawks defense was so suffocating literally from the first snap that a member of that unit was worthy.

That, however, was a collective tour de force, with the pressure that led to Manning's second interception as much a part of that pick-six as Smith grabbing the looping, errant pass and taking it to the house. But for Wilson -- in only his second season -- facing Peyton Manning and playing a position which touches the ball every snap and playing that well; to have been nearly perfect on third down and executing an expert game plane that kept so many teammates involved, well, it was pretty special.

All along I figured that if Denver was going to win, Manning was going to have to be the runaway MVP, having the kind of explosive offensive performance that defined this regular season. But Wilson, I believed, need only manage the game and prevent turnovers, and Seattle's run game and defense and special teams would persevere. Instead, Wilson was a flat-out playmaker, a difference maker. Don't let the relatively mundane box score fool you.

Just think about the passes he made, on the run, thrown only where his receivers could get them. Think about the sideline pass to Doug Baldwin early in the game. Think about how, when the pocket broke down, he was able to extend plays. Think about the scramble on the first drive that, I thought, picked up the first down, though the officials ruled otherwise.

Yes, I saw some nerves -- just a sliver of them -- on the opening drive, when he missed tight end Zach Miller badly on his first throw. And that's to be expected, even for the perpetually mature Wilson. But just think about what this kid did on third down:

• Third-and-9 from Denver 30: 12-yard completion to Jermaine Kearse.

• Third-and-6 from Denver 14: Scramble for 5 yards (almost converted).

• Third-and-7 from Seattle 31: 9-yard completion to Golden Tate.

• Third-and-4 from Seattle 46: 6-yard completion to Baldwin.

• Third-and-5 from Denver 43: 37-yard completion to Baldwin.

• Third-and-14 from Denver 14: Incomplete to Kearse.

• Third-and-4 from Denver 5: First down on pass interference (attempted pass in back of end zone).

• Third-and-17 from Seattle 19: Complete to Tate for no gain.

• Third-and-7 from Seattle 45: 12-yard completion to Luke Willson.

OK, I'm going to stop there. That's every third-down play through three quarters, and as we know the game was over by then. So Wilson converted six of nine third-down chances. He missed one by less than a yard on a scramble and the other two he did not convert were from long range (14 and 17 yards). It will be impossible not to think back on this game and have one's mind not turn quickly to Wilson spinning, sprinting, rolling out, slipping away and then making a play.

Only once did Wilson toss consecutive incomplete passes -- and that was the sequence early in the game on second-and-14 and the subsequent third-and-14. That's it, folks.

Wilson completed passes to eight different receivers, and four players had at least four targets. Everyone was involved. He finished 18 of 25 for 206 yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers while averaging 8.7 yards per rush. Manning has never has a Super Bowl passer rating above 88.5 and had thrown at least one interception in every Super Bowl he has played in. And Manning has never tossed even two touchdown passes in a Super Bowl game.

Wilson was more than a game manager, much more, and he still is only starting to climb to his peak. Once again, youth was served, with Wilson continuing a recent trend of a young quarterback earning a Lombardi Trophy (joining Joe Flacco, Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger in recent years) in his first try. If he wasn't the best football player on the field at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, well, you'll have a damn hard time convincing me there were many others out there who played any better.

If anything, I suspect Wilson's performance ages well, looks better over time, when added to his ever-growing résumé. Manning's failures should in no way obscure Wilson's many successes Sunday night.

Still bagging on that Harvin trade?

Anyone who used to be critical of the Percy Harvin trade -- saying Seattle gave up too much or paid the receiver too much -- had best change his or her opinion.

I understand the injury risk and all of that stuff, but this cat is one of a kind, he still is only 25 (and a young 25 considering he has really played only a half season of football since 2011), and his ability to win matchups at four or five different positions is mind-boggling. How can you not flash forward to 2014, think about how young the Seahawks are, and consider Harvin for anything close to a full 16 games in it, and not project fireworks?

If Wilson wasn't the offensive MVP of this game in your mind, then Harvin would have to be. Obviously, his kick return to open the second half was electrifying, and don't forget how much Harvin was featured early, at a time when that very, very young offense was staving off the nerves, trying to sustain something and feel its way through such a huge game.

His presence in the backfield, whether an empty backfield or other arrangement, opens things up. Harvin carried two times for 45 yards, caught one pass, and, had this been a remotely close game you got the sense the Seattle playbook featured all kinds of opportunities for him. For him to have missed so much time this season, but be featured on, say, a key third down on a screen pass (it ended up incomplete), and to be getting carries right off the bat, tells you how highly this coaching staff thinks of him.

Don't lose sight of how imperative those runs were, also, on a day where the Denver defense often sold out to shut down Marshawn Lynch, stuffing him repeatedly and allowing him only 39 yards on 15 carries. Harvin's ability to explode to the outside, and find yards on the ground, served to keep that defense more honest.

Again, of course, he has to stay healthy. Durability will be key. But for what long appeared like a lost 2013 for him to end as positively as it did, is pretty remarkable.

Final Observations

• We'll see if Denver's offense has this kind of record production next season. I have a hard time believing it, with Eric Decker and Knowshon Moreno likely leaving for greener pastures as free agents, and Manning and Wes Welker another year older. Don't get me wrong, they'll still be very productive, but I don't know about over 600 points and more than 5,000 passing yards and 55 TDs passes next year.

Keep in mind, Denver plays a much tougher schedule and matches up against the NFC West next season -- very physical defenses in Seattle, San Francisco, Arizona and St. Louis that will likely force Manning to move around and scramble, and we know the difference that can make.

• Seattle GM John Schneider is the best in the game, for his many huge moves, as well as the deals he has walked away from. Teams were calling a lot on Doug Baldwin when the Seahawks signed Harvin, and Schneider never wavered, wanting to keep his quarterback's preferred third-down target. Baldwin has huge in the playoffs, and he led Seattle in receiving yards (66) in the Super Bowl.

Seahawks defense claim Peyton Manning was telegraphing plays By Will Brinson CBSSports.com February 3, 2014

All night long the Seahawks swarmed on the Broncos. Every time Demaryius Thomas, Wes Welker or Eric Decker caught a ball from Peyton Manning -- most of them on crossing routes -- they quickly got popped. And the Seahawks defenders talked plenty about how hard they hit the Broncos players, but they also believe it helped that Manning was telegraphing his plays.

Richard Sherman, speaking to Robert Klemko of TheMMQB.com, said the Seahawks played Manning straight up but also "jumped some routes."

"All we did was play situational football," Sherman said. "We knew what route concepts they liked on different downs, so we jumped all the routes. Then we figured out the hand signals for a few of the route audibles in the first half."

And then, according to Klemko, Sherman "demonstrate[s] the signs Manning used for various routes" and claimed he and his teammates were predicting the plays Manning used during the game and nailing them.

"Me, Earl [Thomas], Kam [Chancellor] ... we're not just three All-Pro players. We're three All-Pro minds," Sherman said. "Now, if Peyton had thrown in some double moves, if he had gone out of character, we could've been exposed."

Hindsight is a funny thing, but it's a lot easier to talk that kind of talk when you put the whipping on someone that the Seahawks put on the Broncos.

Sherman and the Seattle defense allowed the Broncos just 122 yards after catch on 34 receptions (a puny 3.6 YAC on each reception), which means they did indeed swarm to every throw Manning made.

That doesn't even take into account the fact that the Seahawks led 29-0 after the first play of the third quarter. Things could've been even uglier had Seattle not been up so big.

Seattle effect: How Super Bowl XLVIII will change how NFL teams build this offseason By Eric Edholm Yahoo Sports/Shutdown Corner February 3, 2014

Realistically, the core of the Seattle Seahawks has been more than three years in the making, with the first major seeds of this championship roster starting when the team dealt for Marshawn Lynch in October 2010.

But the fruition, a Super Bowl title in February 2014, has envious NFL team owners, fans and even media sitting up in their chairs now and taking notice of the changed narrative.

Defense, we are reminded in clicheic fashion, can still win championships. After a generation where offenses won championships. But that's exactly the point.

Super Bowl XLVIII will never go down as a memorable game, but it could be a historically significant one, or a sign post — albeit a highly symbolic one in nature. Get ready to buckle up for an offseason of NFL writers talking about how this one game changed the way some teams are thinking and approaching their rosters.

Sadly, it's partly rooted in truth. The problem is that if teams have not seen this storm coming for some time, they have shockingly not paid close enough attention. But some are that blinded; now might be the first time they are accepting the Seattle model as legitimate.

The elements of a Seahawks tidal wave have been in place for a while, and if the San Francisco 49ers had beaten them two weeks ago, which was entirely in the realm of possibilities, you'd have to think they were more than capable of unleashing the same caliber of fury on the Broncos on Sunday night. Either way, it's impossible to overlook what that Seahawks team did against one of the two or three best quarterbacks ever.

A flurry of pass rushers. Big, athletic, long cornerbacks. Nasty toughness in the trenches. Bruising running backs. Throw-on-the-move quarterbacks. Team speed everywhere. These things will be all the rage this offseason. Call it the Seattle Effect, if you'd like.

So it should not be a surprise when a handful of billionaire owners go to their GMs this week, roll a tape of Cliff Avril mashing Manning and Malcolm Smith running an interception back for a stunning pick-6 and say: "I want that." The most likely candidates: Dan Snyder, naturally, but also Jerry Jones, Woody Johnson, Jimmy Haslam, Mark Davis and Stephen Ross. In Jones' case, he'll just try to go get it himself.

Hardly a finger snap, of course. Seahawks GM John Schneider patiently built this roster from the ground up. He mined late draft picks, undrafted guys, castoffs and undervalued free agents, willing to take one-year risks on greatness. He struck gold with a third-round quarterback. Schneider trusted his scouts, listened to head coach Pete Carroll about the kinds of players he wanted and needed and was willing to go off the grid.

And now, the rest of the NFL will follow suit. Three years too late, we should add.

Innovators are always ahead of the curve, willing to buck trends, stick to a foundational plan and fight through the inevitable setbacks along the way to see the finished product through. But this offseason imitators will go for the quick facsimile, the cosmetic makeover, to mimic what the Seahawks, 49ers, Carolina Panthers and a handful of others already have been doing.

That's why free-agent pass rushers such as Greg Hardy and other Seahawks-style players will be paid handsomely. That's why safeties such as Jarius Byrd and T.J. Ward will cash in with teams seeking their own Earl Thomas-Kam Chancellor thing. Why the price on Aqib Talib and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie just went up, DRC retirement talk be damned.

And it will impact the draft, too, from the speed-rushing types such as Dee Ford, to the slew of Gumby-like cornerbacks in this class and the athletic quarterbacks. Yes, we are referring to Johnny Manziel, who will benefit — rightfully or not — from Russell Wilson's performance. There is no "You must be this tall to ride" sign at the door anymore.

The reality is that most teams will try this blueprint and fail doing so. It's not easy to find these players just waiting to be drafted and signed. But that won't stop teams from trying.

And if you want to sum up the offseason to come, there is is. Call it what you want, but if you're just now recognizing it, where have you been the past 18 months at least?

Richard Sherman says 49ers, not Broncos, were the NFL’s second-best team By Eric Edholm Yahoo.com/Shutdown Corner February 3, 2014

In a story on MMQB.com, Seattle Seahawks cornerback said the rival San Francisco 49ers — not the Denver Broncos, whom the Seahawks played in Super Bowl XLVIII — were the NFL's second-best team.

Here's the excerpt from the story from Robert Klemko, who spent the night observing Sherman after the Seahawks throttled the Broncos:

He hates to admit it, but says “the NFC Championship was the Super Bowl. The 49ers were the second-best team in the NFL.”

You can take that as more of a slap in the face of the Broncos than it is a cap nod to the 49ers. In talking with Seahawks DB coach Marquand Manuel, he and Sherman talked about how they were "playing chess, not checkers" in the Super Bowl and showed the level of scouting the Broncos took in order to try to beat the Seahawks.

“A good offense that has really studied film and really done its due diligence will see plays that other teams have had success with and install them as a surprise,” Sherman says. “Brandon Browner got beat in Arizona on posts from two outside receivers, and flats from the slot receivers. And they were the only team that ran it. Kam was the safety and he tried to undercut the post and they just banged it in there. Denver had never run it, and they put it in because of Arizona. That’s chess.”

Whatever the name of the game, the 49ers came within a play of beating the Seahawks in their own stadium. The Broncos had no chance on a neutral site.

That doesn't mean Sherman necessarily likes the 49ers. Sherman's rivalry with 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree still burns, although Sherman said his attempt to shake Crabtree's hand was done out of respect.

“I know if I went up to Larry Fitzgerald in that situation,” Sherman says, “he’d have shaken my hand. It’s about respect.”

All it does is add another layer of intrigue to the NFL's best brewing rivalry.

What’s next for Denver Broncos? By Chris Burke SI.com February 3, 2014

The Denver Broncos believed that this was their year. The 2012 playoff disappointment sparked the Broncos to chase Wes Welker, Shaun Phillips and others in free agency — missing pieces for a team that entered the season off back-to-back AFC West titles and was set as a prohibitive favorite to win the conference.

But winning the conference did not prove much of a problem. Denver rolled to another division crown, then manhandled San Diego and New England in the playoffs, only to implode against Seattle in Super Bowl XLVIII.

This coming offseason will be a busy one for the Broncos, who may be down to the final year of their Peyton Manning window. Here’s an early look at what is to come:

Salary Cap

It could be tight. Even if the league’s salary cap bumps up a bit to around $123 million, as expected, the Broncos could be right up against that line. Relief, though, could come from a couple sources:

1. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie’s contract voids at the end of this week, which will clear $5.5 million off the books.

2. Denver reportedly has some decent carryover money saved from this season — around $6 million, according to Forbes. Applying that to next season’s cap would give the Broncos a little more wiggle room and, combined with Rodgers-Cromartie’s transaction, could leave the Broncos with an extra $12 million or so.

That’s helpful but not problem-solving. Some decisions could further help the cause. The most obvious: cutting or renegotiating the contract of cornerback Champ Bailey. He is in line to earn $10 million next season but none of it is guaranteed, meaning Denver could cut ties with no penalties.

There are a few more obvious potential cap casualties here — Chris Kuper ($4.1 million savings if he’s cut), Jacob Tamme ($3 million), Joel Dreessen ($2.5 million), Kevin Vickerson ($2 million) among them.

Free Agency

The Broncos face decisions aplenty here, too, with 16 players and no less than nine starters about to hit the free-agent market. The toughest to keep may be wide receiver Eric Decker, who figures to land a healthy deal despite his Super Bowl disappearing act. Though his position may be less coveted, running back Knowshon Moreno is in a similar boat following a bounce-back 2013 season and subsequent no-show in the Super Bowl. As it is, the Broncos have 2013 second-round pick Montee Ball ready to take over the No. 1 gig, with 2012 draft selection Ronnie Hillman behind him.

Reports already have the Broncos ready to re-sign defensive end Shaun Phillips, who unexpectedly became an irreplaceable force this season. Doing so certainly will cost them more than the $1 million they paid in base salary for the 2013 season. Robert Ayers also is on track to be a free agent, although Von Miller should make his way back into the Broncos’ plans for 2014.

And what of starting guard Zane Beadles? He enjoyed a stellar 2013, but did he price himself out of Denver’s budget? Keep in mind that the AFC champs spent some dough to add fellow starting guard Louis Vasquez last offseason.

Yet another tough call awaits on linebacker Wesley Woodyard, who opened the year calling plays for the defense. He ceded those duties to Danny Trevathan after suffering a couple injuries, but he’s still a valuable Bronco. Like several other players mentioned here, he simply may find more money outside of Denver.

The secondary could face the most turnover. Bailey’s and Rodgers-Cromartie’s futures are in limbo, as mentioned above. It’s a safe bet that at least one returns for 2014; keeping both could come down to the numbers game. Safety Mike Adams, a part-time starter alongside Duke Ihenacho in the secondary, will want a bump over the $2 million he made this season ($1.75 million base plus $250K bonus).

Denver’s focus may fall on the cornerback and safety spots once free agency opens full-bore. From there, the offensive line and possibly the skill positions could be the next priorities.

Coaching Staff

John Fox’s contract likely will be one of the first things the Broncos tackle this offseason. He has just one season left on his current deal, at a very cheap $3.5 million. That number could be close to doubled — $7 million is what Pete Carroll reportedly made this year.

All the other key players should be back, including offensive coordinator Adam Gase, who earlier withdrew from the Cleveland Browns’ head coaching search. Gase helped the Broncos to record-setting numbers in his first season calling the plays;

his stock could shoot through the roof with a repeat in 2014, especially if Denver avoids a playoff meltdown like the one put on display Sunday.

Defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio once was rumored to be a USC coaching candidate. With that job now off the table, Del Rio should return. The Broncos defense stepped up late in the season and throughout the AFC playoffs.

Draft

Everything’s by the book right now — Denver will pick 31st in each round on account of its Super Bowl loss, and it holds each of its original seven picks. Using a couple of those choices to address some of the aforementioned problem spots almost certainly will be a main strategy. This is a particularly deep receiver class, too, so if Decker bolts in free agency the Broncos could look for a cheap replacement in one of the first three rounds.

2014 Schedule

The AFC West draws the NFC West for next season’s crossover games, which not only means that Denver faces a rematch with Seattle (in Seattle, no less) but also that it must contend with arguably the toughest division in the league. It’s possible that the NFL will send the Broncos to Seattle for its traditional season-opener, but the Broncos’ participation against Baltimore in that game this season and the lopsided Super Bowl outcome might scrap that plan.

Denver also travels to St. Louis and hosts San Francisco and Arizona in that West-vs.-West setup.

Also on the slate are four games with the AFC East — at New England and the Jets; home against Buffalo and Miami. The other non-AFC West games send Denver to Cincinnati and bring Andrew Luck’s Colts to Mile High.

Few teams will have a harder slate awaiting them in 2014, so the Broncos will have to work for a fourth straight AFC West title.

Seahawks defensive line dominated trenches in Super Bowl rout By Ben Reiter SI.com February 3, 2014

The Denver Broncos' offensive line was one of the NFL's best during the regular season. Pro Football Focus ranked it second in pass blocking, behind only the Cincinnati Bengals', and it allowed a league-low 20 sacks. But in the quiet AFC locker room after Super Bowl XLVIII, its members were clearly the most battered, in every way, of a thoroughly battered team.

Right guard Louis Vasquez appeared unable to bend over to clear the equipment he had shed from in front of his stall. A clubhouse attendant had to do it for him. A couple of lockers over, left tackle Chris Clark sat hunched over, dejectedly plucking pieces of confetti from his helmet, one by one. The confetti was blue and green, the colors of the Seattle Seahawks.

The ultimate outcome had not been in doubt for long, in large measure because of the dominance, on this evening in New Jersey, of the Seahawks' defensive front, and the Broncos line's struggles in trying to contend with it.

The line's troubles began on the game's first snap, when center Manny Ramirez hiked the ball past Peyton Manning. The ball ended up in the end zone, where running back Knowshon Moreno fell on it and was tackled by defensive end Cliff Avril for a safety.

"It was real loud," Ramirez explained. "We're trying to go on the cadence. I thought I heard him. I didn't. He was actually walking up to me, because he'd already said the cadence. Then I snapped it. I take full responsibility. That was the first time where we lost it that way all year."

Avril, the 27-year-old former Lion who was signed as a free agent to a deal that proved to be one of the offseason's best bargains (two years, $13 million), would be centrally involved in the play that proved to be the game's most pivotal. It came on a Broncos 3rd and 13 with 3:37 remaining in the second quarter, and with the Seahawks, despite their rather complete early control, leading a not-yet-insurmountable 15-0.

Manning dropped back and immediately faced pressure from both ends -- Avril and Chris Clemons (the latter representing Clark's blocking assignment), who closed in

on him like a scorpion's pincer. Orlando Franklin, the right tackle assigned to block Avril, described what happened.

"He just went speed to power," Franklin said, describing a trick in any good defensive ends' repertoire in which he initially feigns as if he will be attempting an outside speed rush, and then quickly redirects his efforts right at a lineman's chest, throwing him off balance and pushing him back. "Hat goes off to him. Speed to power. Speed to rush. He bull-rushed me.

"He did a great job getting off the ball. He did an extremely good job with his first step. He's a quick guy. For an offensive tackle, generally when you go speed to power and you have a guy that's out there that's fast, it's definitely a little bit harder to handle."

Franklin, a 26-year-old from Toronto, is much larger than Avril -- he is 6-foot-7 and 320 pounds, to Avril's 6-foot-3 and 260 -- but Avril's move allowed him to push the offensive lineman back into Manning. Avril revealed that he had been setting his trap for some time.

"I did a decent job of setting it up early to give me those speed to powers, just switching up your pass rush," he said. "You don't give them the same thing every time. Last couple games, I haven't done too many power moves, so I gave 'em power early, then off the edge, then power."

Said Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, "Those guys have been totally geared up for this for two weeks, in terms of the way we practiced, the way we rush. He's got such a good get-off, that for Cliff, when he can work the guy back inside, he gets off and the guy has to bail, then he can change it up and use his power. He's a strong guy."

Quinn also added that the Seahawks had put a lot of time into studying Manning's tricky cadences, so that they would not only not be drawn offsides (as they weren't a single time during the game) but could time his snaps.

"Yeah, for like the last two weeks, for sure," Quinn said. "From video to TV stuff to on the field. We know he's terrific at it. We knew it first hand, and his brother's pretty good at it too. It was a big point for us."

Avril drove Frankin towards Manning, with Clemons closing in from the back side, and then Avril put his right hand up as he drew near. He made contact with the quarterback's arm and altered the trajectory of his pass, which was intended for Moreno.

"For us, we have a big emphasis on tips and overthrows," explained Quinn. "When a ball is tipped, and there's a chance to go up, we make sure to try to get it at the highest point. Once we get it, it's how fast we can get some blocks and go score."

The pass tumbled through the air, and while it appeared as if Moreno might have a play on it, or at least to knock it down, he continued to drift downfield, perhaps mesmerized by Manning's duck. Malcolm Smith, the Seahawks' outside linebacker, attacked. Smith, the 24-year-old former seventh-round draft pick who would be named the game's MVP, had never had an interception in his three-year career until Week 16 of this season. Now he grabbed his fourth pick in his last five games.

"He probably wasn't anticipating us to be right there," said Smith of Moreno, "but we're a fast defense, and if the ball's in the air that long, we're going to have a chance to make a play."

Added Quinn: "That sounds like Malcolm. That's a ballhawk, and a guy who really goes after the ball, and that's Malcolm."

Smith caught the ball at the Seahawks' own 31 yard line. What happened next was academic. He raced, untouched, down the left sideline, 61 yards for a touchdown that would put the Seahawks up 22-0, and the game out of reach.

The play was the result of many things, but it did not stem from anything unexpected on the part of the Seahawks' scheme.

"They didn't do anything out of character for them," said Broncos' left guard Zane Beadles.

Quinn confirmed that his message to his defense for the past two weeks was as follows: "Let's not throw what we've been doing for the last 22 weeks out to make up new stuff. Let's play like we play."

Playing like they play meant relying on their power -- or, in this particular case, on their "speed to power" -- and their aggressive ballhawking, both of which proved far too much for the Broncos to contend with. There was, Franklin underscored, one man who should not receive the lion's share of the blame.

"It's unfortunate that a lot of people are going to look at this game and try to put it on 18, but he definitely doesn't deserve that, and we all had a hand in this loss," Franklin said.

He was, of course, referring to the jersey number worn by Peyton Manning.

Boom! They say the NFL is a league for offense. So how, then, was Super Bowl XLVIII decided, and dominated, by a group of tormentors raising hell around Peyton Manning and wreaking havoc for the most potent offense in league history? This is the anatomy of a dismantling By Peter King SI.com/The MMQB.com February 3, 2014

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — An hour after the lopsided Super Bowl conquest no one east of Yakima saw coming, Pete Carroll was bounding across the MetLife Stadium turf, holding wife Glena’s hand, surrounded by four or five cameras and as many security people, going from one on-field interview to the next. I was in this you’d-better-get-out-of-the-way-or-you’ll-get-flattened pack, asking Carroll about his team and the beatdown.

But something stuck in my mind, and I had to ask this first. During the week, I was the pool reporter assigned to cover Seattle practices and distribute whatever news might come out of them. Which, in this week, was precious little.

Carroll’s Seahawks practice to the constant and very loud drone of music, hip-hop and rap mostly. Early in the week, Carroll will sneak in a James Brown or Earth, Wind and Fire tune from his youth, or maybe Michael Jackson. But by Friday, it was mostly unrecognizable to this 56-year-old Springsteen and U2 fan. Luckily, I had Shazam, that app that allows you to hold up your phone when a song is playing, to learn what it is.

Among what was played, I’m guessing at about 90 decibels, for the entirety of Friday’s practice: “Fast Lane,” by Bad Meets Evil, “More Bounce to the Ounce,” by Zapp, “We Own It,” by 2 Chainz, “Last of a Dying Breed,” by Ludacris, “We Ready,” by Archie Eversole, “Ambitionz Az a Ridah,” by Tupac, and “Hold Me Back,” by Rick Ross.

When “Hold Me Back” came on, the team was practicing red zone plays. Important tuneup for the biggest game of their lives, and the last time they’d go full speed before the game. Between snaps, the entire defensive line was dancing on the field. Quarterback coach Carl Smith, 65 and with a bum hip, was even swaying. Carroll saw that, and smiled. Then the ball was snapped, and backup running back Christine Michael pivoted left out of the backfield and went down. A couple of defenders, Clinton McDonald and Bobby Wagner, hustled over to Michael, who was slow getting up, and each took a hand as all three laughed about something. This is

what I saw during the week: a team having fun at practice, like it was some dance party, and a team that really gets along. And works at a fast pace.

“I’m glad you saw that,” Carroll said. “That’s real. That’s who we are.”

For those who think music is counterproductive, that you need to have teaching moments at a football practice without having to shout over music, and that players switching jerseys for no good reason (Marshawn Lynch was swimming in tackle Breno Giacomini’s shirt on Friday) is a distraction, I have one score to point out:

Seattle 43, Denver 8.

* * *

After that Super Bowl rout Sunday night, one of the Seahawks’ most respected players, fullback Michael Robinson, thought he had it figured out.

“Football is a game,” Robinson said in the bowels of MetLife Stadium. “A game. Pete has figured that out. He makes football fun. All aspects of it—practices, games. One of our goals is to play at a level other teams can’t match. That’s what you saw tonight. What do you see when you see a team, running around practicing to music all week? They’re loose. They’re full of energy. And that’s what we are. I know it works for us.”

The analysis of this Super Bowl will center, rightfully, on a voracious defense. This was without a doubt one of the best defensive performances in Super Bowl history. This is one game in which stats lie. Peyton Manning set a Super Bowl record with 34 completions, and he threw for a respectable 280 yards.

But Manning managed only 51 passing yards in the first 26 minutes of the game, and by then it was over. Seattle led 22-0 by that point.

Think of what an incredible defensive performance this was. In the 94-year history of the NFL, Denver’s 606 points this season were the most ever. But on a night when weather was borderline balmy for New Jersey in February, the conditions were no excuse. And all Manning could do was manage some garbage yards late when half of America had turned the game off. In my 30 seasons covering the NFL, I can remember only three defensive performances that compare: the Bears’ stifling 46-10 rout of the Patriots in Super Bowl XX, Baltimore’s 34-7 beat down of the Giants in Super Bowl XXXV, and the Giants shocking New England—at that point the highest-scoring team in any single season—17-14 in Super Bowl XLII.

“Nobody here thinks we’re done. And we really think we have such a great chance here to keep it going. That’s how you distinguish yourself in this game.” —Russell Wilson

This defense had it all. We came in praising the Seattle secondary endlessly, and the secondary played great, putting a halo of punishment on almost every Denver reception. By that, I mean every play, no matter what the route or who the receiver was, had two or three defenders pouncing within a millisecond of the catch. Clearly, Denver offensive coordinator Adam Gase should have called some double moves, or more deep stuff to try to clear out the middle of the field. Seattle was so on top of everything Manning did.

But one of the reasons it would have been difficult for Manning to do anything deep consistently was because he couldn’t breathe. Much will be written and said about this game concerning Manning’s continued inability on the biggest of stages not to preform. There was certainly some of that: I detail later in the column how I thought he made some terrible decisions, especially on the final drive of the first half, when Denver was trying desperately to find some spark. So blame Manning. He deserves a good bit of it, especially when he aims a throw that was a poor decision that ends up being intercepted by Kam Chancellor.

But there were so many unstoppable rushers for Seattle, and none more than Cliff Avril, the former Lion. He had just a so-so first season with the Seahawks, but he made an amateur out of Denver right tackle Orlando Franklin. Avril had three big plays in the first half, including two heavy pressures on Manning that aided both interceptions. I was one of the 16 voters for the MVP last night. I voted for Avril. It could have gone to many. I wish I could have penciled in “Seattle Defense.” Because collectively, that truly was the MVP of this Super Bowl.

One other thing about these Seahawks. In the locker room after the game, Pete Carroll whipped up his team as if he were still coaching college kids at USC. He stood in the center of his men, surrounded by players and cameras. The Super Bowl makes strange bedfellows: “The media is so omnipresent that coaches rarely get any significant postgame time with their teams.”

But as Carroll went through praising the vast majority of his roster for its tremendous performance, at the end the players took over.

One yelled out, “We all we got!”

The response from teammates screamed, “We all we need!”

“Then a shout went out. “What’s next?!”

“We not done!”

After almost everyone had cleared out, after midnight, the last bus waited for Russell Wilson to get dressed.

“We work so hard, man,” said Wilson. “That’s the gratifying part of it: Nobody here thinks we’re done. And we really think we have such a great chance here to keep it going. That’s how you distinguish yourself in this game.”

Scary thought for the rest of the NFL. A young quarterback who is afraid of nothing and a young defense that just played a game like the ’85 Bears. Indeed, Seattle is not done.

Get to know the MVP

On Sunday morning, after getting his hair cut, Malcolm Smith visited the Seahawks family hotel. He wanted to say hi to his mother, Audrey. There was no reason for the impromptu drop-by. “He just gave her a big hug,” Malcolm’s girlfriend, Aneesa, said. “She was so surprised to see him.”

“I was mainly happy to see he was healthy,” Audrey Smith said. “No matter what happened in the game, I knew my son was in a good place.”

Smith’s ascent from 2011 seventh-round draft pick to Super Bowl MVP is remarkable. But what’s really remarkable was his just being there. Five years ago, Smith was so ill he could barely digest a meal without having to vomit. He lost nearly two pounds a week.

Doctors diagnosed Malcolm, then a junior at Southern California, with an extremely rare esophagus disorder called achalasia, which affects just one in 100,000 people. He underwent surgery in 2010, and afterward weighed just 200 pounds (he’s listed at 226 now). It’s one of the reasons he wasn’t invited to the combine, and why he fell to the 242nd pick in 2011.

“I didn’t ever think he was going to give up,” said Malcom’s brother Steve, the former Giants receiver who won a ring of his own the first time New York beat the Patriots in 2008. ”But after all that, to see him at his low and see him actually want to do this, actually want to persevere?”

On Sunday Malcolm returned a second-quarter interception 69 yards for a touchdown and became the first defensive player to win the Super Bowl MVP in 11 years. “MVP? Of the Super Bowl?” Malcolm said. “I was sure they were kidding me. I said, ‘I want someone official to tell me I am the Super Bowl MVP.”

Just read the papers this morning. You’re all over them.

* * *

On this night, not the Mann.

A bitter disappointment for Peyton Manning, obviously. And when Manning looks back on the tape from this game, he’ll be sick. The unforced errors, starting with the first snap of the game. The mistakes he made in identifying the open receivers. The forced throws. He didn’t have much help—he was pressured from start to end—but he tried too hard to make plays that very often weren’t there.

We saw it late in the first half, Denver down 22-0 and needing something, anything to show flickering life. On first down from the Seattle 27, Manning had a choice: forcing the ball to Julius Thomas—bracketed by safeties Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas, or throwing to an open Wes Welker at the 15. That would have been a first down. But he tried Thomas, and it wasn’t close. Incomplete. Meanwhile, Welker, who rarely shows emotion after a pass, threw his arms in the air. Four plays later, on 4th-and-2, Manning bypassed a more open Julius Thomas, in first-down territory, to try to hit Demaryius Thomas. Ball was tipped. Incomplete. There are many times you watched a big moment Sunday night, and every time, seemingly, was to Seattle’s advantage. Manning just looked uneasy.

I didn’t see Manning after the game, but Mark Mravic of The MMQB did. He reported:

It was a grim and tight-lipped Manning who stepped to the podium for his obligatory postgame session with the media in blue pin-striped suit and maroon tie with silver stripes. In front of several dozen reporters, boom mics and cameras, he sat looking as perplexed by what had happened on the field as the 80,000 in MetLife Stadium and the 100 million watching at home. Manning’s answers were perfunctory and unenlightening. In truth, he had no answers. And he did not crack a smile. This was a bitter veteran professional doing his league-mandated duty, looking as if he’d rather be anywhere else. You could tell this hurt. “To finish this way is very disappointing,” Manning said. “It’s not an easy pill to swallow, but eventually we have to. I don’t know if you ever really get over it.” Only once in the seven-minute session did Manning betray any emotion beyond grim resignation. He was asked whether this was an embarrassing loss, and you could see the blood begin to boil. “It’s not embarrassing at all,” he said. “I would never use that word. There’s a lot of professional football players in that locker room, who put a lot of hard work and effort into being here and into playing in that game. The word ‘embarrassing’ is an insulting word to me, in truth.”

With that, Manning left the podium and was escorted behind a curtain for a television interview. Some minutes later he was walking away from the Broncos locker room, escorted by a lone New Jersey State Trooper. Passing a small clutch of fans in Broncos gear, he stopped to sign a T-shirt and a hat. Then he continued, hands in pocket, past the celebrating Seahawks locker. Here he was stopped again, this time by Seahawks president Peter McLoughlin. Manning offered McLoughlin his

congratulations as McLoughlin offered condolences. A few more yards, one more signature for one last fan, and Manning was gone again through the curtain and out into the night.

Truther of the Week.

Weirdest moment of the night: A 9/11 “truther,” Matthew Mills, 30, of Brooklyn, walked up to the side of the podium where Super Bowl MVP Malcolm Smith had just begun to live his moment in the sun. On live TV, here’s how it rolled:

Smith: “I always imagined myself making great plays, but you never think about being MVP.”

Mills, hustling past Miami PR czar Harvey Greene and abruptly grabbing the microphone, as Smith’s beseeching eyes looked for help: “Investigate 9/11 … 9/11 was perpetrated by people within our own government.”

Mills dropped the mic like a player would spike a football and exited stage left. The mic got uprighted. Smith paused, looked around and said: “All right.” He looked around again. “Is everybody all right?”

Mills’ stunt happened so fast it fit on a six-second Vine video, as you can see. Truthers are people who believe a massive cover-up is at play and hides what really happened in Lower Manhattan that caused nearly 3,000 people to die in the collapse of the World Trade Center.

* * *

Ten things you need to know about the Hall of Fame vote.

The Class of 2014 was elected Saturday: senior committee candidates Ray Guy and Claude Humphrey, and modern-era picks Derrick Brooks, Michael Strahan, Aeneas Williams, Andre Reed and Walter Jones. My thoughts:

1. Finally, I supported Ray Guy. Big upset. It even surprised me a little bit. I just think as a voter (and a person), it’s important to be open-minded. I do go into these meetings open-minded, and I heard a few different reasons this year, some of them quantifying things like hang-time and inside-the-20 punts more clearly than they had in the past, and his peers, on and off the record, were so unwavering in their support that I thought, “Maybe I’m wrong.” I still have some grave questions—Shane Lechler’s inside-the-20 average, for instance, is far better—but I do understand you compare guys to players in their era. So good for Ray Guy. I’m happy he finally achieves the dream.

2. I did not support Andre Reed. I covered a lot of Buffalo games in the Bills’ prime, and I believe he was a very good receiver but not one of the all-time greats. I like

Tim Brown better, and Marvin Harrison significantly better. As I’ve felt since the day I got on the committee more than two decades ago, the 46-member panel is a democracy, and if 80 percent of the group thinks one of the five finalists is a Hall of Famer, then he’s a Hall of Famer, and good for him. But I want to be honest with you, because so many of you care so deeply about the Hall.

3. I like Brooks, Strahan and Jones. Easy picks, all.

4. So, so happy for Aeneas Williams. I always loved the way Mike Martz—who is all offense, all the time—just worshiped the guy and thought he was a huge difference maker on defense for the great Rams teams early this century. Watching Williams, he wasn’t the shutdown corner Deion Sanders was. But he was close—I believe the closest thing to Deion in the game at the time—and he was a very physical player too. Jimmy Johnson thought Williams was a tremendous player, and I thought he was so important in so many big games. Williams beat the post-Jimmy Cowboys in the first playoff game of his life with Arizona, and he intercepted Troy Aikman twice that day. He intercepted Brett Favre twice in the 2001 playoffs, taking both in for touchdowns. I love the fact the committee found an excellent player who played mostly for a losing Arizona team, and rewarded him.

5. I think Jerome Bettis, 3.9 yards per carry and all, belongs. I believe he’s the best big back of the last 25 years. I saw him outrun Bucs defensive backs once on a long run in Tampa; I saw him steamroll an in-his-prime Brian Urlacher—and I mean steamroll—in a snow bowl must-win game for the Steelers late in the Bus’ career, when he gained 100 yards in the second half against the league’s number two rush defense. He made the final 10 this year, and I hope he goes farther next year.

6. Now for the case of Charles Haley. I strongly believe in him, because I think he’s the most violent pass-rusher I have covered. By that I mean he had some of the Deacon Jones viciousness to him, a fearsome combination of moves, and he has the five Super Bowl rings, which is significant, of course. I cannot speak for the group and wouldn’t intend to, but I have always felt what hurts his candidacy is as good a rusher as he was, he only averaged 8.4 sacks per regular-season. I believe he tilted the field when he played, and sometimes it didn’t result in sacks for him; it resulted in sacks for others, like Jim Jeffcoat when Haley was in Dallas.

7. My sense of the logical 2015 order for candidates who didn’t make it this year, at least at the head of the list: Marvin Harrison, Will Shields, Charles Haley, Jerome Bettis, Tim Brown, Tony Dungy.

8. My sense of the best new candidates for 2015: Junior Seau, Orlando Pace, Kurt Warner. Warner’s candidacy will be very interesting because he was a Super Bowl quarterback for two franchises—and very nearly a Super Bowl winner for two franchises.

9. We met for 8 hours, 59 minutes. That’s an hour or so longer than usual. Longest debates were on Dungy (47 minutes), Guy (44), Humphrey (40), Williams (32) and Strahan (30). I liked the debate. Spirited and passionate. I don’t think the limited time the cameras were in the room limited or bothered anyone.

10. The Hall of Fame is always a hot topic, and very strongly opinionated. Just remember: We come in with a list of 15 modern-era candidates, have a long discussion, and then winnow that list to 10 in a secret ballot. Then we winnow the list of 10 down to five. Then we get the five final candidates, and we vote secretly, yes or no, on them. Re: the seniors: We vote yes or no on them independent of the modern candidates. The two senior candidates each year are picked by a voters’ subcommittee that meets in Canton every summer for a couple of days with two respected legends in the room to give their off-the-record advice.

* * *

Question of the Week

NBC Sports Network’s Erik Kuselias, on Pro Football Talk Live, to New Orleans linebacker Jonathan Vilma, the most severely punished player in the Saints’ bounty scandal: “If you saw Roger Goodell, and you were face to face, what would you say to him?”

Vilma: “First, hi. Let’s get the pleasantries out of the way. And then, we’ll talk about whatever really he wants to talk about because he was on the outside looking in. I know what happened back then. He didn’t know, he had not a lot of information. Misinformation. I believe he made a mountain out of a mole[hill], but it is what it is. I understand there were bigger things he was trying to instill. Player safety, he was trying to really instill that, but it shouldn’t have come at the [cost] of myself, Scott Fujita, Will Smith, Anthony Hargrove—you know, guys that really didn’t have bad intentions. We were good guys. We didn’t have a bounty going. We had guys that would want to talk crazy in the locker room, which is part of football. It’s what we do.’’

Didn’t have a bounty going. Well, define “bounty.”

* * *

Death of a legend

It’s the day after the Super Bowl and all, and I understand everyone’s in a football frame of mind. But the death of 46-year-old Philip Seymour Hoffman deserves your attention. He was found in his Manhattan apartment Sunday morning, expired from a suspected drug overdose.

I think he was the greatest American actor we had today. The range of his characters was just incredible. I mean, who can play A’s manager Art Howe (Moneyball) and Truman Capote (Capote) with equal skill? Well, I’m partial to his Capote portrayal. Stunning. Absolutely stunning. I’ll miss the man for his acting. His three kids will miss their father. Just a sin what drug abuse is doing to so many people in this country.

My five favorite Hoffman films follow. Keep in mind I haven’t seen all of his movies (Along Came Polly is one I must see):

1. Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead. Andy Hanson, an addict, takes down an entire good family in a haunting, disturbing role. The title comes from an Irish saying, “May you be in heaven a full half-hour before the devil knows you’re dead.” Hoffman (Andy) is such a bad person that he needs that head start.

2. Capote. Hoffman won the 2006 Best Actor Oscar for playing author Truman Capote. His voice and affectations I will never forget.

3. Doubt. What a great faceoff between Hoffman (a priest accused of child molestation) and Meryl Streep (a nun and principal, and his accuser). I love the fact you never really know whether he did it. You think he did, but you don’t know.

4. The Savages. He and Laura Linney are brother and sister caring for a dying dad. When the real world intrudes on people no longer close with a parent and exposes all kinds of old feelings never healed—that’s something so understandable in so many lives today.

5. Moneyball. Art Howe hated the portrayal of the bumbling manager of the A’s when the new baseball way crept into the game. I loved it. Hoffman as a stubborn manager, as so many classic old baseball guys are when asked to change.

Hoffman was great as a nerdy personal assistant in The Big Lebowski, and as veteran rock journalist Lester Bangs in Almost Famous, but his roles were relatively minor ones. That’s why those aren’t included here.

Losing James Gandolfini and Hoffman within eight months … what a bummer if you love great acting.

Fine Fifteen

1. Seattle (16-3). As dominating and intimidating a performance as I remember in a Super Bowl. A total skunking. Seattle is so clearly the best team in football.

2. San Francisco (14-5). Next home game: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif., 40 minutes south of Candlestick. And better.

3. Denver (15-4). A few words come to mind. Most apt: embarrassing.

4. New England (13-5). This is not just because I shared a podium with him Saturday night in Manhattan, but the Patriots need to sign free-agent wide receiver Julian Edelman. Last five games of the season: 65 targets, 45 catches. When Tom Brady is throwing 13 passes a game to a guy, and a guy they won’t have to pay Calvin Johnson prices for, the message is simple for the Patriots: Stop going cheap on the receiver position.

5. Carolina (12-5). Congrats to Ron Rivera, the deserving NFL coach of the year.

6. San Diego (10-8). Speaking of good coaching jobs: Mike McCoy, ladies and gentlemen.

7. New Orleans (12-6). My guess is the Saints franchise Jimmy Graham. I don’t see how they reach a deal if he keeps his demand in the stratosphere, and I’d have serious questions about him as a stratospheric player after the no-show he put on this postseason, even despite the plantar fascia.

8. Green Bay (8-8-1). I’d be surprised if Ted Thompson doesn’t take a tackle with one of his first two picks in May.

9. Philadelphia (10-7). Ran into a lot of Eagles fans in Super Bowl week. I think they love Chip Kelly as much in year one as they loved Andy Reid in any of his 14 years.

10. Indianapolis (12-6). The MMQB guest columnist Coby Fleener and the returning Dwayne Allen will give Andrew Luck the kind of two-tight-end combination a young quarterback with a shaky offensive line dreams of in 2014.

11. Kansas City (11-6). Smart thing to be trying to sign Alex Smith long-term.

12. Arizona (10-6). High on Bruce Arians’ to-do list this offseason: Fix the running game. The Cards had one back rush for 100 yards in a game in 2013 (Andre Ellington, Week 8). Not good.

13. Cincinnati (11-6). Six 100-plus QB-rating games, 33 touchdown passes … Andy Dalton’s regular-season numbers are nice, but the Cincinnati fans will remember the playoff debacle into September. Nothing will be good enough for this franchise short of a playoff win next January, and rightfully so.

14. Pittsburgh (8-8). Most important job for the Steelers this offseason isn’t going to be personnel addition. It’s going to be cap subtraction.

15. Chicago (8-8). Be proud of Bears cornerback Charles Tillman, Chicago. He’s the 2014 NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year, and a deserving one, for all the work he does off the field.

The Award Section

Offensive Players of the Week

Russell Okung, James Carpenter, Max Unger, J.R Sweezy, Breno Giacomini, the offensive line, Seattle. Aside from keeping Wilson mostly clean all night (he wasn’t sacked), the line cleared the way for a running game that averaged 4.7 yards per attempt. They kept two dangerous players—Terrance Knighton and Danny Trevathan—from being any kind of factors in the biggest game of the year. Entering the game, you could argue that the line might have been the most questionable unit on the team coming in. It turned out to be a major strength.

Defensive Player of the Week

Cliff Avril, defensive end, Seattle. He contributed to both Manning interceptions in the first half—making Manning throw awkwardly both times. On the first, he had a near-sack of Manning and wound up tackling him as he threw, with Kam Chancellor picking it off. One the second, Avril hit Manning on the right arm, forcing a pass to be popped up and intercepted for a touchdown by linebacker Malcolm Smith. And he was credited with the game-opening safety. I voted Avril the game’s MVP.

Special Teams Players of the Week

Percy Harvin, kick returner, Seattle. He fielded the opening kickoff of the second half, a bouncer, and zipped in and out and in of traffic, sprinting the last 45 yards untouched. And the rout was on. (It was already; this just sealed it). Seattle was up 29-0 just 12 seconds into the second half.

Derrick Coleman, fullback, and Jeremy Lane, cornerback, Seattle. For setting the tone in a game the Seattle special teams dominated. On the opening kickoff, Denver speedster Trindon Holliday took the ball six yards deep and got out to only the 14-yard line before getting swarmed by Coleman and Lane. On the next snap, the Broncos messed up the center-quarterback exchange and Seattle got a safety to start the most improbable Super Bowl I can ever remember.

Coach of the Week

Pete Carroll, head coach, Seattle. It was a week when the Seattle coach thought of everything. Like this: On Friday, he had his players exert themselves at the Giants’ training facility—where they practiced all week—and then sit around in the Giants’ locker room for 31 minutes before coming out for a faux second half. Carroll

becomes the third coach to win an NCAA national title and a Super Bowl (Jimmy Johnson, Barry Switzer), and he does it on the same property where he got his first NFL shot, the Meadowlands, as a one-and-done Jets coach in 1994.

Goats of the Week

Peyton Manning, quarterback, Denver. Manning was suffocated from the second series on, but he threw a terrible interception to Kam Chancellor, then, instead of pulling the ball down and taking a sack, attempted an ill-conceived throw that was picked and returned for a touchdown. Late in the first half, he made two awful decisions (see above) on a series he had to convert into points and got nothing. Yes, Manning was inundated, and his receivers had little room to breathe all night. But he played poorly too. And at 38 on opening day next year, he will still be stuck on one Super Bowl win.

John Fox, head coach, Denver. With 10:46 left in the third quarter, and Denver trailing 29-0 at the Seattle 39-yard line facing a 4th-and-11, John Fox sent out the punt team. I realize the Broncos were not winning anything by that point, but throwing the white flag with 26 minutes left in a four-score game with Peyton Manning your quarterback? Wow. I thought that was a terrible call.

Orlando Franklin, tackle, Denver. Franklin was the turnstile who allowed Avril to make both huge plays in the first half that turned the game. Frankly, Franklin was awful, allowing five quarterback pressures or hits in the first half alone, according to stats kept by The MMQB’s Mr. Pressure Points himself, Greg A. Bedard.

Quotes of the Week

I “We’re the best defense ever.”

—Michael Bennett, Seattle defensive lineman, after the 35-point rout of the Broncos.

II “It’s just a big horse off my back. I was finally able to give my team something for four quarters.”

—Seattle’s Percy Harvin, who, for the first time in 15 months, finished a game he started Sunday. He contributed 137 all-purpose yards and a touchdown to the 43-8 victory. You can see his comments to the right.

III “We really wanted to buy the Mariners, but we were a little too late. Then we turned our attention to the football team.”

—Former Seahawks owner John Nordstrom, walking through the Seattle locker room with a big grin Sunday night.

IV “None of us heard the snap count. I thought I did, but … There’s no explanation. It happened. Unfortunately it happened. I feel bad for the team.”

—Denver center Manny Ramirez, whose botched snap on the first play of the game resulted in a safety that gave Seattle a lead it never gave back.

V “New Jersey sucks! New Jersey sucks!”

—Angry train riders at the New Jersey Transit station in Secaucus, N.J., stuck in one- to two-hour waits for a train, in overcrowded hallways, to get to MetLife Stadium.

VI “If somebody left IBM and went to Apple, if they were shutting IBM down, do you think that guy would go back and visit? There’s something strange about athletics and what people expect you to do. I don’t know. I wasn’t always a big fan of Candlestick to begin with, even though I played there. It might’ve been the worst field we played on throughout the years. But we had great memories there, yeah. But you know what? I don’t live in the past much.”

—Joe Montana, on radio station 95.7 FM in San Francisco, about not attending the final game in the history of Candlestick Park for a big tribute. The 49ers, of course, traded Montana late in his career, and created ill will between him and the team.

VII “Suh was uncontrollable. He would constantly do things to show his power over Jim Schwartz, whether it was showing up to team meetings late or whatever it may be. Three different people [told me] the same story, about antics Suh would do just to show his dominance over a head coach … It was more or less Suh just trying to show his dominance, his power—that he was basically untouchable and he could basically do what he wanted to do.”

—Former NFL player Heath Evans, in an interview with Detroit radio station 105.1 FM, causing the Lions to issue a spate of denials, and sources to tell Pro Football Talk that Evans was dead on.

Stats of the Week

I MetLife Stadium and the Westin Hotel Jersey City have been very, very good to the Seattle Seahawks.

Three times in the last three seasons—before playing the Giants in 2011, before playing the Giants again in 2013, and before playing this Super Bowl—the Seahawks stayed in the relatively new hotel eight miles from MetLife Stadium. Seattle won the three games, 36-25, 23-0 and 43-8.

Score: Seattle 104, Foes 33. Seattle intercepted Eli and Peyton Manning 10 times in the three games, and was intercepted twice. Seattle forced 14 turnovers in the three games and turned it over four times.

II I heard from those on both sides of the fence about Morten Andersen’s candidacy for the Hall of Fame. Some of you thought he was nothing special, simply a long-time compiler. Some thought the leading scorer in NFL history deserved a spot in Canton. I’d say the former outweigh the latter.

Four things you should remember about the Copenhagen-born kicker:

• At age 47, competing in his last season in the NFL, Andersen made his final 16 field goals. • In his last two seasons, at 46 and 47, Andersen made 45 of 51 field goals. • Andersen has 110 more points than any other player in NFL history. • The sport is called football.

Factoid of the Week That May Interest Only Me

Political Bedfellows of the Week:

Mitt Romney and Dick Cheney watched the Super Bowl in Jets owner Woody Johnson’s suite.

Mr. Starwood Preferred Member Travel Note of the Week

I Distance from New York Giants’ practice facility in East Rutherford, N.J. (where I covered Seahawks practice as a pool reporter Friday), to West 27th Street in Manhattan (where I hosted an event Friday evening): 8.4 miles.

Time it took me to drive the 8.4 miles Friday at 4:37 p.m.: 1 hour, 53 minutes.

II So Saturday was our Hall of Fame voting day in Manhattan. We cast our ballots in a

ballroom on the second floor of the media hotel, the Sheraton Times Square. Lunch was brought in midway through the proceedings. Specifically, box lunches for the 46 voters and Hall officials. A description of my lunch:

• Chicken breast on focaccia. • Apple. • Lays Classic chips (small bag). • Brownie.

The cost: $102, including tip.

Per box lunch.

III Cool event Sunday: breakfast with Roy and Cathy Gruss, of Missoula, Mont. They won an all-expenses-paid trip to the Super Bowl from Bose, and part of the trip (Bose is a sponsor of The MMQB) was a meal with me. So we met at 9 a.m., on the East Side of Manhattan, and Roy, wearing his Montana Grizzlies jacket, and Cathy told me their story of the weekend.

Roy is 61. He is the Missoula County Public School Food Service warehouse manager. He had never been to New York, and he had no plans to go. Ever. Actually, he had never been east of Chicago before, except for Florida. When he and Kathy landed at JFK Airport Thursday evening, they were picked up in a Mercedes sedan (“Amazing leather seats—we sunk right into them!” Roy said) and dropped off at the Renaissance Hotel Times Square. On Friday, they ran into Troy Aikman at the hotel. In an elevator, they saw Randy Moss and said only, “Hi.” Said Cathy: “We didn’t want to bother him.” They walked a lot. Ten blocks north of the hotel and back. Ten blocks east of the hotel and back. Ten blocks south of the hotel and back. They sampled as many Irish bars as they could. “Black and tan’s my beer,” Roy said. “I like beer. Too many beers, too little time.” At home, he’s partial to Moose Drool, a Missoula brew. And Saturday night, Cathy fell asleep before midnight, but the din from the Jay-Z concert nearby seeped through the window of their sixth-floor room. “I loved it,” said Roy.

“This trip,” said Roy, “has been a total lightning bolt. Amazing. A couple of times I said to friends, ‘You know what I think I’ll do this weekend? I think I’ll go to New York for the Super Bowl!’ My friends have said to me, ‘You sure you want to take your wife? I’m available.’ ”

“Let’s just say,” said Cathy, “this is a little bigger than a Montana Grizzly game.”

“What,” I asked, “would you guys be doing today for the Super Bowl if you didn’t come here?”

“We’d be at the Eagles Lodge for a pot luck,” he said. “Eagles Lodge 62. Maybe about 150 or 200 people would show up. The day starts about noon with a cribbage tournament. For the food, someone would bring elk sausage, somebody else wild-game chili, and we’d probably bring some smoked Rocky Mountain trout, from my own smoker. It’s fantastic.”

The Grusses were scheduled to return to Montana on Monday. “I have work Tuesday,” said Roy. “I’ll be up Tuesday morning at 3, into work by 4:30. Everyone here has been so nice. You hear things about New Yorkers, but the people have been wonderful. But we’ll be ready to get home.”

Good to meet you, Grusses. Thanks for the company.

Tweets of the Week

I “‘Uncle’ – Broncos”

—@DrewBledsoe, when it was 36-8.

II “Defense wins championships!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #okthatsenough!”

—@JustinTuckNYG, after it got to be 22-0 some 27 minutes into the Super Bowl.

III “At halftime, Ted Nugent is going to shoot Joe Namath’s coat.”

—@AlbertBrooks, the comedian, in the first half of the Super Bowl.

IV “Worst part of radio row at SB – how everyone interviewing u looks around for who they can grab next instead of engaging the conversation!”

—@kurt13warner, the former quarterback and current NFL Network analyst, on the chase for guests at the Super Bowl Media Center Radio Row.

Ten Things I Think I Think

1. I think we know now why GM John Schneider committed so many resources and so much money to deal for Percy Harvin. Harvin and the Jet Sweep. Harvin and the kickoff return. Harvin and being healthy. His speed is a revelation. Before his score to start the second half, the Seahawks called a kick-return they hadn’t called all season. And teammates said to Harvin on the field, “See you in the end zone.”

2. I think the poise of Russell Wilson is something to behold. Did you see him once get tight? He had two early overthrows. After that … wow, for a 25-year-old player

on such a grand stage. I loved his early roll to the left and throw across his body to Golden Tate, lasered to the sideline for a gain of 10 and a first down.

3. I think this is the way Wilson talks, either to us or to his coaches or teammates: “We knew we’d get here. We knew we’d bring it. We brought it.” That’s what he said at his locker postgame to quarterback coach Carl Smith. But it could have been to the beat guy from Spokane too.

4. I think it’s not too much to ask that Peyton Manning and Manny Ramirez figure out how to get the snap right on the first play of the Super Bowl. Or is it?

5. I think the best candidates for the road team against Seattle in the NFL season-opener Sept. 4 are:

a. Denver. Ratings bonanza. Peyton Manning’s revenge. Or attempted revenge.

b. San Francisco. But I think the Niners would try to open Levi’s Stadium at home on Week 1. And they certainly wouldn’t want to open the year in their House of Horrors, where they’ve lost three times in the last two seasons.

c. Green Bay. Nothing like Aaron Rodgers and the Pack for some good ratings in the lidlifter.

d. Dallas. Jerry Jones never met an extravaganza he didn’t like.

6. I think the first thing I look at, when a team in a baseball city wins the Super Bowl, is the baseball schedule. Especially when stadiums are next door to each other. That wrecked the home opener for Baltimore last year. Good news, ’Hawk fans: Mariners at Rangers, 5:05 p.m. Pacific Time, on Sept. 4.

7. I think the NFL has to re-think its love of mass transportation and abandonment of cars at a Super Bowl, particularly at a venue where fans are so used to driving. And the Meadowlands is a driver’s paradise. When fans are still waiting to get a train or bus home two hours after the game, you’ve got a problem—especially when some of said fans have paid thousands to attend the event.

8. I think you might not have known it, but this was the earliest-arriving crowd in Super Bowl history. Scared off by the dread of long train and security lines, fans began teeming in at 2 p.m., and 80,000 of the 82,529 had cleared security 75 minutes before the game.

9. I think next year will be Charles Haley’s year.

10. I think these are my non-football thoughts of the week:

a. Pete Thamel was right: Best sports event in New York/New Jersey over the weekend was Duke-Syracuse college hoops.

b. I still cannot believe the Philip Seymour Hoffman news.

c. Dying to see Gravity.

d. I’m really hoping the ridiculously unseasonable day Sunday won’t cause too many NFL owners to pound fists on tables and say, I want the Super Bowl in my town!

e. Look, what happened here is the NFL got lucky. Very lucky. Tell me the chances of it being 56 in mid-afternoon, with no wind, in East Rutherford on Feb. 2, historically. Six days earlier it was 7 degrees in mid-afternoon. So don’t tell me now the NFL should put Super Bowls outside in the north because this day proved you can. This day the NFL got a perfect window is what it proved.

f. New York/New Jersey swallowed the Super Bowl. If you live on the East Side of Manhattan, as I do, there was no indication anything different was up on Sunday.

g. Coffeenerdness: Gregory’s Coffee … brought a few media guys there for a quick booster during the week in Manhattan. Very good lattes.

h. Beernerdness: Guinness is best served colder than the Irish like it. I know that because at a Super Bowl event Thursday night in the city, the bartender told us they were serving at normal American beer temperatures. Not trying to be revolutionary, but it’s just better colder.

i. The MMQB doesn’t go into hibernation now just because the football season is over. We’ll be daily throughout the offseason. Only shorter, thank God.

The Adieu Haiku

Goodbye to football. It was a very good year. And Seattle reigns.

The Failure Was Total It was another big-game loss for Peyton Manning, but the blame for the Broncos’ 43-8 Super Bowl humiliation extends across the board, to every aspect of the team’s performance: coaching, preparation and execution

By Greg A. Bedard SI.com/The MMQB.com February 3, 2014

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Sometimes what happens in football doesn’t make for an exciting story, but there are inches and web pages to fill. Sometimes there isn’t much to get into a screaming televised debate about, but there are hours of programming to fill.

So you’ll hear a lot of talk about the legacy of Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning in the coming week, after his team took a 43-8 beating at the hands of the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII on Sunday night at MetLife Stadium.

Can’t win the big one.

Puts up gaudy statistics in the regular season, but doesn’t get it done in the playoffs when it counts.

(That’s the general public’s perception; not someone’s legacy.)

The truth about Super Bowl XLVIII is simply this: The Broncos, not just Manning, lost to a far superior team. They were underprepared, out-coached and, most importantly, out-executed across the board in all three phases of the game.

That’s it. That’s how you wind up with the biggest Super Bowl blowout in 21 years, since the Cowboys beat the Bills 52-17 in Super Bowl XXVII.

It was a complete debacle for the Broncos from the opening play of scrimmage, when center Manny Ramirez snapped the ball over Manning’s head and into the end zone for a safety. The error happened because the Broncos went with a verbal cadence instead of a silent snap count.

“It was real loud and none of us heard the snap count,” Ramirez said. “I thought I heard [Manning’s] voice. Again, there is no explanation for it.”

The Broncos did not expect the crowd noise to be a factor, since the game was being played at a neutral field. Coach John Fox, who took the Panthers to Super Bowl XXXVIII against the Patriots, and offensive coordinator Adam Gase underestimated the crowd noise to start the game. That was a critical error.

“That’s the way the start of any Super Bowl is: It’s going to be loud,” said receiver Wes Welker, who was playing in his third Super Bowl. “The fans are going to be yelling. They don’t really know why they’re yelling—it’s just the start of the Super Bowl. We didn’t prepare very well for that, and it showed.”

That gave the Seahawks a 2-0 lead and the ball back. They ran one play, Marshawn Lynch up the middle for a short gain, and then sprang receiver Percy Harvin on a 30-yard jet sweep around the left end, bringing Seattle into field-goal range at the Denver 31. The Broncos said they prepared for the talented but oft-injured Harvin in the run-up to the game, but it didn’t show on that play, or on a 15-yard Harvin run later in the quarter.

Broncos right end Robert Ayers stopped and stood flat-footed as soon as he came out of his stance, which allowed tight end Luke Willson to gain inside leverage and seal the inside part of the alley designed for Harvin. On the outside, cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was so unaware of what was going on that he was defending the pass, and receiver Doug Baldwin was able to easily ride him out of bounds.

“I don’t think anybody embodies outhitting an opponent more than Kam Chancellor.” —Dan Quinn, Seahawks defensive coordinator

“He came out there and he ran lightning fast, and we’ve got to be able to contain that,” linebacker Danny Trevathan said of Harvin. “It wasn’t nothing that we didn’t see. It was just the way we handled it and the way we went about it. We should’ve made more plays.”

It was 5-0 before Manning and the Broncos’ offense, which set league records for points and passing yards in the regular season, got their first executed snap with 10:21 left in the first quarter. On second-and-7, Manning thought he had receiver Demaryius Thomas coming clean on a crossing route as cornerback Byron Maxwell got delayed fighting around rub routes from Wes Welker and Julius Thomas. Demaryius Thomas had open turf with Maxwell trailing way behind, but neither he nor Manning saw strong safety Kam Chancellor lurking in the middle of the field. Thomas took a jarring, tone-setting hit from Chancellor after his second step for just a 2-yard gain.

“For us, we knew tackling the catch was going to be as big as anything,” said Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. “And I don’t think anybody embodies outhitting an opponent more than Kam Chancellor. He’s as physical as they come.”

That play also revealed the Seahawks’ game plan against Manning and his quartet of talented targets: receivers Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker and Welker and tight end Julius Thomas. The Seahawks felt very comfortable with linebacker K.J. Wright

taking Julius Thomas one-on-one. That’s extremely important, because it allowed Chancellor to play much of the game as a free-roaming robber in the middle of the field. With skilled edge cornerbacks Richard Sherman and Maxwell able to handle Demaryius Thomas and Decker, and with Wright on Julius Thomas, free safety Earl Thomas cold play as the middle-of-the-field deep safety, and Chancellor could fluctuate between Welker, a safety valve for Manning, and helping on designed crossing routes. The key for Chancellor was reading Manning’s eyes.

“There’s a lot of quarterbacks that look off [the safeties] a lot,” said Quinn, “but he’s able to get rid of the ball so quickly that there’s not a lot of look offs just because of the nature of the Broncos’ offense]. It’s not a deep-route [offense] where a quarterback may drop and look for someplace else to go. So that was important for us.”

The kind of coverage the Seahawks were playing—and they changed up looks from Cover 1 robber (man under one deep safety, other safety as a robber) to two man (two deep safeties) to Cover 3 (two cornerbacks and one safety split deep in thirds across the field) and two deep, five under (zone across underneath two deep safeties) – can be beaten with vertical routes. That was the issue for the Broncos and why this matchup favored the Seahawks: Denver isn’t a deep-route team, because Manning doesn’t have the same arm strength after four neck surgeries, and you need time in the pocket for those routes to develop against the physical coverage used by the Seahawks. Manning didn’t come close to receiving an adequate amount of time in the pocket.

The Broncos’ offense line, far and away the best pass-blocking unit in the league this season (helped by Manning’s quick release of the ball), was thoroughly dominated by the Seahawks.

On third down after Chancellor’s hit on Demaryius Thomas, Seahawks end Cliff Avril drove right tackle Orlando Franklin straight back and forced Manning to move off his spot and throw early. Seattle’s four-man nickel defensive line of Avril, Clinton McDonald, Chris Clemons and Michael Bennett owned the first half. Manning dropped back to pass 23 times. Six times the Broncos ran screens (five coming on their first drive of the second quarter in an admission that they had no answers for the Seattle pass rush), which left 17 true drop-backs. Manning was pressured on 10 of those—nearly 60 percent. Franklin allowed five of the pressures, including four to Avril. Left tackle Chris Clark and left guard Zane Beadles each allowed two pressures in the first half. By that point it was 22-0 and the game was all but over.

It’s simple math. The Seahawks don’t send an extra rusher very often because of their well-placed confidence that the line can do the job. When a team can get pressure rushing four against five offensive linemen, that means seven defenders are in coverage against a maximum of five eligible receivers. It’s a huge advantage

to the defense, and it’s the same plan of attack the Giants used to defeat the previous single-season record holders for touchdowns and points in a season: the 2007 Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.

Still, it’s amazing that the Broncos’ line, which was so good during the season, was manhandled by the Seahawks, and it wasn’t anything fancy, it was just a man-on-man whipping.

“I’m not sure what exactly happened on the back end [if receivers got open],” Ramirez said. “It doesn’t matter what happened on the back end. We have to make sure as a front five we are blocking no matter who it is or for how long. We need to. All year, Peyton has taken care of us as far as getting rid of the ball quickly, and we have be there for him as well with whatever is happening on the back end. Unfortunately we weren’t able to come up with any kind of offense.”

The Broncos’ myriad issues certainly included Manning. The Seahawks pressure caused him to speed up his game, which is normally a problem for pocket passers like Manning. But he didn’t overcome it as he could have. Manning admitted he made a poor play on the first interception. Yes, he was pressured off his spot when Avril beat Franklin, but Julius Thomas wasn’t open, and Manning sailed the ball to Chancellor. He misfired on a few balls, and threw to well-covered receivers when there were other options available.

With 8:18 left in the first half, Manning threw deep incomplete to Demaryius Thomas against Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman. Julius Thomas was breaking free to the right side of the field. Then later, in what was a possible game-changing play with 1:06 on 4th-and-2 at the Seattle 19-yard line and the score 22-0, Manning threw incomplete to the sideline when Julius Thomas was wide open underneath, right in front of Manning, for the first down.

To complete the total team meltdown, Denver’s kickoff coverage team got overaggressive and out of their lanes on the short kick to start the second half, and Harvin returned it 87 yards for a touchdown. Later, four Broncos defenders had a chance to tackle receiver Jermaine Kearse on a simple 6-yard slant that turned into a 23-yard touchdown to make the score 36-0. The record will also show that the Broncos registered neither a sack nor a quarterback hit on Wilson, who was playing behind the league’s worst pass-blocking unit.

“I think we played a great football team,” Manning said. “We needed to play really well in order to win, and we didn’t come anywhere close to that. Give Seattle a lot of credit. They are an excellent football team, and they caused a lot of our mistakes. At the same time, we just didn’t play well tonight.”

The Seahawks played and coached a terrific football game in every phase and are rightfully the Super Bowl champions. The Broncos—all of them, not just Manning—did not, and were tattooed with a 35-point loss. That may not grab a lot of headlines today, but that’s what happened in Super Bowl XLVIII.

Peyton Manning's Super Bowl stumble doesn't tarnish comeback By Judy Battista NFL.com February 3, 2014

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The woman in the orange hat pushed a small blanket toward him, and Peyton Manning paused and took the pen. He signed it, offered a small smile -- hers was much bigger -- and walked on, toward another small cluster of people with slips of paper and tickets in hand. He signed them, too, and kept going, hands in his pockets, eyes down, around a corner in the tunnel of MetLife Stadium and into the cool night.

Perhaps the 43-8 blowout to the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII had provided Manning with enough time to digest this loss, possibly the most painful he has ever suffered, given the circumstances, allowing him to continue to operate as he usually does, as an unofficial league statesman. It is the circumstances of Manning's career that had elevated this Super Bowl beyond its already significant meaning into some kind of referendum on his legacy. The myopia of sports suggests that the tally -- despite the records, despite the relentless regular-season success -- is now decidedly unfavorable, that the quarterback who is likely to one day hold every significant passing record will eventually leave the game with a shadow on his success. Julius Thomas, the Denver tight end, defended Manning, correctly saying that he was the reason the Broncos were in the Super Bowl in the first place. But Manning has now lost two of the three Super Bowls he has played in, and has thrown pick-sixes in each of those losses.

Manning was asked afterward if this kind of performance was embarrassing to him.

"It's not embarrassing," he said, in a rare flash of irritation. "I would never use that word. The word embarrassing is an insulting word, to tell you the truth."

This defeat, though, seemed more devastating than the one to the Saints four years ago, and not just because the Broncos were overwhelmed by the Seattle defense from the very first snap, which sailed over Manning's head for a safety in a spectacular moment of miscommunication, or because Manning played poorly. We didn't know four years ago that Manning's neck was fragile or that his career was closing in on its conclusion. The point that Manning has reached now -- where he recognizes how fleeting these opportunities are -- was still well in the distance. You did not watch Manning after he lost to the Saints and think he might never be so close to another Lombardi Trophy.

You did this time. As the 37-year-old Manning settled behind the dais in his immaculate blue suit, a much younger quarterback, Russell Wilson, was on the other side of a curtain, claiming his prize. Wilson is of the next generation, a generation that grew up going to the passing camp Manning and his family run, only to crib so many notes from Manning that he was able to eventually topple him. The Broncos used last year's loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round to fuel them this season, to drive them toward the touchdowns and points records, toward home-field advantage, toward the two playoff victories. And then it all crumbled in a heap of bad plays so plentiful that they helped to diffuse the blame, but which inevitably will be boiled down to Manning alone.

He didn't see a wide-open Wes Welker on one play in the first half, he was hit as he threw on another, and the ball landed in Malcolm Smith's hands for an interception that was returned for a touchdown. He seemed to be feeling the Seahawks' relentless pressure all night, as he was forced to move around. At one point in the game, when it already seemed too late, Manning flipped through the pictures he has on the sideline, as if in a desperate search for something that would work. He would never find it. The Seattle defense was too fast to allow separation by the Denver receivers, and the only passes that could be counted on -- screens -- the Seahawks were quick to close on. There was no running game at all, and the offensive line collapsed against the pass rush. In Manning's two years in Denver, the Broncos had not had a game like this. And even in a career that has been dotted by postseason disappointment, this will stand out as a stunning flop.

"It's a difficult pill to swallow," he said, his mouth tight. "You have to find a way to deal with it and process it and, if you can, find a way to fuel you next year.

"It's not a quick fix."

Everything, of course, has to be quick for Manning now. He said when the game was over, when the field was dotted with a blizzard of green and blue confetti, that this outcome does not change the way he is thinking about next season -- he wants to play and he expects to play, barring an unexpected medical development. To those who have watched him for 16 seasons, it is easy to imagine that somehow he will come back in a few months having found greater focus, more urgency, deeper commitment.

But what Manning's own arc has shown us -- has shown him, too -- is how ephemeral this all is. One year, you're a few plays from winning the Super Bowl, and two years later, you're unable to play at all, your arm a noodle to be compared to Chad Pennington's. There is no guarantee that he can keep outpacing his age, that his extraordinary ability to get better in his late 30s is going to continue. That is what made this loss seem so wrenching.

When Manning returned to the game after the four neck surgeries, he said that he wanted to be the player fans thought they remembered. He mostly has been that, elevating the Broncos, setting the records, dazzling week after week. But now, he also has been what his detractors think they remember -- someone who is unable to rise to the greatest occasions. His coach, John Fox, bristled in the moments right after the loss when asked to consider those who question Manning's greatness.

"I'd say, I can't really say it out loud right here," Fox said. "I'd get in trouble. 'Ludicrous,' would be proper English."

Manning's remarkable recovery from an injury that left him unable to throw should have quieted his doubters. He has already climbed much higher than perhaps even he expected he could again, getting so very close to the top. And then he slipped off the peak. This loss might haunt him for a while, and it might taint his resume forever. But as Manning walked away empty-handed Sunday night, through the crowds that still wanted something to remember this year by, it did not make the climb back any less impressive, even if this one night was cold and painful.

Broncos' Wes Welker: We didn't prepare well for noise By Kevin Patra NFL.com February 3, 2014

The botched snap on the first play from scrimmage of Super Bowl XLVIII started the avalanche, which engulfed the Denver Broncos.

Peyton Manning called the error "nobody's fault" while center Manny Ramirez took "full responsibility" for the blunder.

According to wide receiver Wes Welker, the Broncos weren't prepared for the noise at the start of the game.

"That's the way the start of any Super Bowl is: It's going to be loud," Welker said, per TheMMQB.com. "The fans are going to be yelling. They don't really know why they're yelling -- it's just the start of the Super Bowl. We didn't prepare very well for that, and it showed."

Welker fell to 0-3 in Super Bowls, so his comment is clearly coming from a place of experience and probably frustration.

It's interesting to note that in Wednesday's pool report from the Broncos' practice, USA Today's Jarrett Bell told us that John Fox -- who previously had been to Super Bowls with the Carolina Panthers as a coach and the New York Giants as a defensive coordinator -- turned down the simulated crowd noise during practice.

"Normally, it's about five times louder than that," Fox said at the time. "It's not an away game. The ones I've been to haven't been too loud. So we just kind of practice with what we think we're going to get."

(Ummm ... oops?)

We'll probably never know if Welker was directly criticizing the dismissal of the potential crowd noise by Fox when he said his team wasn't "prepared." However, it was clear the Broncos weren't ready for the Seahawks fans to be that noisy at the start of the game.

Orlando Franklin: Don't blame Peyton Manning for loss By Chris Wesseling NFL.com February 3, 2014

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The Seattle Seahawks set the Super Bowl record for most playing time with the lead in Sunday's championship victory.

Although Peyton Manning flunked an opportunity to establish a legacy as the greatest quarterback in NFL history, this was a team loss. The Denver Broncos were thoroughly outplayed in all three phases of the game.

"It's unfortunate that a lot of people are going to try to put it in on '18' because he doesn't deserve that," right tackle Orlando Franklin said after the game in reference to Manning. "We all had a hand in this loss."

Franklin emphasized that the Broncos "knew what was at stake," but were simply outplayed by the better team Sunday.

"They schemed the heck out of us," Franklin continued. "They did an extremely good job today, getting after guys."

It's a reminder that the Broncos not only got outplayed, but also outcoached by Pete Carroll's staff.

John Fox's challenge of a Percy Harvin drop that obviously wasn't a lateral scratched as many heads as Marvin Lewis' most baffling replay reviews.

With the booming leg of Matt Prater capable of sending the ball through the back of the end zone, the Broncos opted for a pop-up kickoff that Harvin returned for a back-breaking touchdown to start the second half.

Both of those decisions pale in comparison to an early third-quarter punt, down 29 points at Seattle's 39-yard line. It's not hyperbole to suggest this might have been the most nonsensical punt in football history -- Chuck Pagano's games excluded, of course.

Franklin took some semblance of solace Sunday night that the Broncos were able to accomplish a lot of things in this league that a lot of people are not able to accomplish.

It was a successful season in many ways. But Franklin, Manning and Fox all spit the bit in Super Bowl XLVIII.

Broncos-Seahawks could start 2014 NFL regular season By Kevin Patra NFL.com February 3, 2014

The saddest part of the post-Super Bowl hangover is the moment you realize we have to wait seven months for another real NFL game.

Before the Seattle Seahawks kick off the 2014 season, we must wade through the NFL draft, free agency, minicamps, organized team activities and months of Sunday boredom.

In order to stem the tide of depression and malaise setting in, let's take a moment to consider whom the Seahawks might host in the 2014 NFL season opener. (Official dates and times to be announced in April.)

Here are our options:

Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, St. Louis Rams, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders

There really is no wrong answer. OK, there is one wrong answer -- sorry, Oakland.

The Cardinals are the last team to win in Seattle. The Rams represent what could be the up-and-coming team in the NFL's toughest division. The Giants and Cowboys provide big names and big markets.

The three most enticing matchups, however, are the Packers, Broncos and 49ers.

A San Francisco opener almost would be too easy. Talk about a slobberknocker to begin the season. The 49ers -- perhaps a few plays away from holding the Lombardi Trophy for the past two seasons -- have all summer to stew over their rival's parade. I'm not so sure the NFL needs to (or would want to) use the first game of the season to reignite the rivalry.

How glorious for the world would it be to open the season with a Fail Mary rematch? As you'll recall, the last time the Packers visited Seattle, one of the most controversial endings ensued (thanks in part to replacement referees). Many in Green Bay still haven't gotten over being "robbed" of the win in 2012. The potential bad blood will add a different element to the home opener. Then there is a healthy Aaron Rodgers against the NFL's most dominating defense. This gets my vote.

Finally, a rematch of Sunday's Super Bowl is a very real possibility. As we saw last year, the NFL loves to start the season by running back a juicy matchup from the previous year. Peyton Manning will fume all offseason following the Super Bowl pummeling. The NFL could give him a chance at revenge right off the bat. A rematch between the 2013 No. 1 offense and No. 1 defense would be a thrilling way to kick off the season.

If that did happen, it would be the first Super Bowl rematch in Week 1 since 1970, when the Kansas City Chiefs played the Minnesota Vikings after meeting in Super Bowl IV, per NFL Media research.

Who else is excited for 2014 already?

Seattle Seahawks build fine legacy at Peyton Manning's expense By Adam Schein NFL.com February 3, 2014

Joe Namath, wearing a fur coat that only "Broadway Joe" could have pulled off, prematurely flipped the ceremonial coin. It was intercepted midair by the lead official, who chuckled and finished explaining the rules for the coin toss. Thus, Joe had to flip again.

That should've been a telling sign we were in for a wacky night.

I expected Super Bowl XLVIII to be an epic game after an unreal season. Instead, we got a total clunker, with the Seattle Seahawks bludgeoning the Denver Broncos, 43-8, to secure an incredibly impressive title win.

But though it was a pasting, this game didn't lack for incredible storylines, punchlines and ensuing debates.

Here are our biggest takeaways from the Super Bowl, Schein Nine style:

1) Legacy defined ... for Seattle's defense

Think about it. Consider the elite defenses that carried their respective teams to the Lombardi Trophy in the past 30 years. The 1985 Chicago Bears. The 2000 Baltimore Ravens. The 2013 Seattle Seahawks.

Peyton Manning had, in my opinion, the single greatest quarterbacking season in NFL history. Yet on Sunday, the Seahawks' defense embarrassed him and the Broncos. Manning had one touchdown pass -- in garbage time. It was sheer domination by Seattle. It was 22-0 at the half.

And, like we've seen it do all year, the Seahawks' swarming defense gave a total team effort. Malcolm Smith earned Super Bowl MVP honors, thanks in large part to his second-quarter pick-six. But that play doesn't happen without the pressure applied by Cliff Avril, who, along with Michael Bennett and others, harassed Manning throughout the game. Meanwhile, Kam Chancellor headlined the "Legion of Boom" with a fantastic game, supplying bone-crushing hits and picking off a true Manning duck.

The most prolific offense in NFL history didn't record a single first down until the 10:30 mark of the second quarter!

The NFL is a passing league. The rules are made for the offense. Factor it all in. The Seahawks' defense has been nothing short of incredible all year. The unit deserves to be cherished and recognized after a mind-bending performance.

2) Legacy defined ... for Peyton Manning

Look, a lot of things went wrong for the Broncos on Sunday. But how could you spin this in any way that doesn't look bad for Peyton Manning?

Manning played his worst when it mattered the most. The Super Bowl was his worst game of the season. Check the numbers. Trust your eyes. That's fact, not opinion.

I will again call Manning a Mount Rushmore quarterback. But you can't be considered the greatest or most clutch when you're 11-12 in the playoffs and 1-2 in the Super Bowl.

Manning and the Broncos laid an egg. Seattle should get credit, but this is a game that stays with Manning and sticks to him in the court of public opinion.

3) Early harbingers ...

Twelve seconds into the Super Bowl, it was 2-0 Seattle. Manny Ramirez's snap over Manning's head, which sent the ball into the Broncos' end zone, was the ultimate harbinger of things to come. Manning was off. His line, so strong all year, was worse.

Following the safety, on the ensuing Seahawks drive, Seattle faced a fourth-and-1 at the Broncos' 9-yard line. Pete Carroll opted for a field goal and a 5-0 lead. I'm usually fine with that conservative approach, but I thought it flew against how Carroll coaches the game. I felt, at the time, that Carroll made a faux pas by not going for it.

Funny looking back at that now.

The Seattle defense then held Manning to a three-and-out in another sign of the flow of this Super Bowl.

The safety, the field goal, and the Broncos' three-and-out -- a telling way to start the game.

4) Out-Foxed

John Fox coached a terrible game for the Broncos.

Why did he challenge a Seahawks incompletion in the first quarter when it was clearly a forward pass?

Why didn't he kick a field goal near the end of the second quarter to at least put some points on the board?

Why did he punt in the third quarter when the Broncos were down 29-0 with the ball at the Seahawks' 39-yard line? (And why did Montee Ball run the ball on the play before the punt, a third-and-10?)

5) Mercy, Percy!

Last March, after trading a trio of draft picks for Percy Harvin and then handing the receiver a bushel of cash, Seahawks general manager John Schneider uttered a great line to me on SiriusXM Radio. When I asked him about the risks of trading for a player with an injury history, Schneider responded: "Risks? We know the history. But we know the rewards. He changes games."

As it turned out, Harvin did indeed change a game for the 2013 Seahawks: the Super Bowl.

Harvin immediately made his presence felt on Sunday, with a 30-yard fly sweep on the Seahawks' second play from scrimmage. But his biggest play came at the outset of the second half: an 87-yard kick-return touchdown that gave Seattle a four-score lead and truly put the dagger in Denver's heart.

Last week, I doubted that Harvin would be a factor, considering he barely played all season and didn't seem capable of even finishing a game.

As it turned out, he was worth every penny.

6) Russell's living large

I always found the questions about Russell Wilson's height (he's listed at 5-foot-11) to be absurd. The kid had a knack for taking care of the ball in college, and he's been the same clutch player in the pros. Nobody works harder. And now he's a champion.

Wilson brilliantly helped set the tone with three huge third-down completions on Seattle's second drive. He spread the ball around all evening -- to Golden Tate, Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse, among others -- and made gorgeous throws showing off his incredible touch.

Wilson has been one of my favorite players in the league over the past two seasons and I couldn't be happier for him.

7) Schneider's touch

I mentioned the general manager's savvy trade for Harvin above, but that's just

the tip of the iceberg.

It was Schneider who pounded the table to draft Wilson.

It was Schneider who pushed for the Marshawn Lynch trade.

It was Schneider who signed Bennett and Avril to highly reasonable deals this past offseason.

John Schneider is one of the best executives in football. This has been clear to people in the know for quite a while. I'm thrilled he's now open to universal acclaim across the sports spectrum.

Give Carroll credit for delivering a title, but make sure Schneider gets the same love.

8) Buyer beware

History says it is a risky proposition to spend big on free-agent receivers. Remember Alvin Harper? Jerry Porter? David Boston?

Was potential free-agent-to-be Eric Decker active in the Super Bowl?

He's a good player playing with an all-time great regular-season quarterback. Take heed, big spenders.

9) New York, New York

Not one mention of inclement weather on Super Bowl Sunday. Gorgeous day. Fantastic night. As I wrote over the weekend, I can't wait for the next New York/New Jersey Super Bowl.

Broncos' Peyton Manning: 'It's not embarrassing at all' By Gregg Rosenthal NFL.com February 3, 2014

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- For a moment, Peyton Manning almost lost his composure. In the bowels of MetLife Stadium late Sunday night, Manning calmly answered questions after the most disappointing moment of his career.

And then a question arrived that understandably bothered him, asking if the 43-8 loss in Super Bowl XLVIII was embarrassing.

"It's not embarrassing at all. I would never use that word," Manning said, starting to fumble for words. "There's a lot of professional football players in that locker room that put in a lot of work into being here, playing in that game. ... That word embarrassing is an insulting word to tell you the truth."

For a brief moment, Manning showed his human side. He appeared to struggle to bottle his emotions before regaining his composure. That's easier to see when you watch the video above rather than just read the text. We don't blame Manning for his thoughts, even if his teammate Wes Welker disagreed.

"This was embarrassing," Welker told reporters after the game. "No way I expected anything like this to happen."

FOX: Super Bowl XLVIII sets record for largest audience on average By Mike Wilkening Pro Football Talk February 3, 2014

Super Bowl XLVIII was about over when Seahawks wide receiver Percy Harvin got past Broncos kicker Matt Prater in the opening seconds of the second half.

Still, you watched the game.

Probably.

The numbers suggest as much. According to FOX, Super Bowl XLVIII drew the largest audience on average for any televised program in U.S. history, with 111.5 million people tuning to see the Seahawks defeat the Broncos 43-8 at MetLife Stadium on Sunday night.

Also according to FOX, the average audience for Super Bowl XLVIII bests the previous record of 111.3 million for Super Bowl XLVI between the Patriots and Giants on NBC.

The game drew a 44.5 rating at kickoff, which is a record, FOX said, with the rating reaching as high as 47.9 between 7:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Eastern, according to the network.

NBC will air Super Bowl XLIX on February 1, 2015 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

49ers, Seahawks Super Bowl XLIX co-favorites; Broncos top AFC choice By Mike Wilkening Pro Football Talk February 3, 2014

Considering their youth and talent, the Seahawks are going to be a popular pick to repeat as Super Bowl champions next February.

However, one Nevada oddsmaker has Seattle as a co-favorite to win Super Bowl XLIX, not the outright favorite.

William Hill U.S. lists the Seahawks and their bitter rivals, the 49ers, as 5-1 co-favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV in Glendale, Arizona on February 1, 2015.

The Broncos are the third betting choice at 11-2.

Also, William Hill currently lists the 2014 NFC champion as a 3.5-point favorite over the AFC champion in the next Super Bowl.

Here are Super Bowl XLIX odds for all 32 teams, as well as AFC and NFC title odds:

Super Bowl XLIX 49ers, Seahawks: 5-1. Broncos: 11-2. Patriots: 10-1. Saints, Packers: 15-1. Eagles, Panthers: 22-1. Chiefs, Colts: 25-1. Steelers, Bengals: 28-1. Bears, Chargers: 30-1. Giants, Ravens, Falcons, Cardinals, Lions: 35-1. Cowboys, Texans: 40-1. Dolphins, Redskins, Rams: 50-1. Jets, Buccaneers, Vikings, Browns: 75-1. Bills, Titans, Raiders: 100-1. Jaguars: 150-1.

NFC 49ers, Seahawks: 13-5. Saints, Packers: 15-2. Eagles, Panthers: 11-1.

Bears: 15-1. Giants, Falcons, Cardinals, Lions: 18-1. Cowboys: 20-1. Redskins, Rams: 25-1. Buccaneers, Vikings: 50-1.

AFC Broncos: 9-5. Patriots: 14-5. Chiefs, Colts: 10-1. Steelers, Bengals, Chargers, Ravens: 12-1. Texans: 16-1. Dolphins: 20-1. Jets, Browns: 30-1. Bills, Titans, Raiders: 40-1. Jaguars: 75-1.

Super Bowl ratings down, a little By Mike Florio Pro Football Talk February 3, 2014

The Super Bowl continues to draw TV audiences like no other event, but the numbers generated on Sunday were actually smaller than last year.

According to Austin Karp of SportsBusiness Journal, FOX’s coverage generated an overnight rating of 47.6 for the Seahawks-Broncos game. That’s down a hair from last year’s 48.1, racked up by the Ravens-49ers contest in Super Bowl XLVII.

Still, it’s the fifth-highest rating for any Super Bowl.

The biggest numbers on Sunday night came not from Seattle nor from Denver but from Kansas City, which produced a schadenfreude-aided 58.1 number. In New York, the 50.5 rating was the highest New York rating since Giants-Broncos racked up a 53.4 in 1987.

That last part could be the strongest evidence yet that a New York/New Jersey Super Bowl won’t be a one-shot deal. The Giants have won three Super Bowls since that game in early 1987, and the one game hosted by New York outperformed each of them.

After quiet Super Bowl, Decker could have chance to test market By Mike Wilkening Pro Football Talk February 3, 2014

As we noted on Sunday, Broncos wideout Eric Decker was one of numerous Super Bowl XLVIII participants with a chance to star on the worldwide stage in their last games before potentially hitting free agency.

Well, Decker had a quiet Super Bowl, catching one pass for six yards on five targets. What’s more, he played every offensive snap for Denver, according to NFL playing-time statistics.

After the game, Decker was asked about free agency.

“That hasn’t been a thought on my mind,” Decker said, according to an interview transcript from the league. “I’m going to enjoy the season we did have. (I’ll) look back at this game and wish we could have a lot of things back. As far as my future, that’ll be something I think about when the time comes in a couple of months.”

Decker’s overall body of work probably is in his favor as free agency approaches. In the last two regular seasons, he caught a combined 172 yards for 2,352 yards and 24 TDs. Overall, Decker, who will be 27 in March, has 30 catches of 20 yards or more in the last two seasons, and he has not missed a game in the last three seasons.

Still, his Super Bowl statistical line doesn’t help his bargaining position as the offseason begins. That is not to say that it necessarily hurts him, but his résumé is largely what it was before the Super Bowl. Still, that will likely be enough to draw a nice amount of interest in free agency, whether it’s from Denver or someone else.

Report: Chris Harris having ACL surgery this week By Mike Wilkening Pro Football Talk February 3, 2014 In one of numerous key personnel losses suffered by the Broncos throughout the season, cornerback Chris Harris missed the AFC title game and Super Bowl XLVIII with an ACL tear.

According to Mike Klis of the Denver Post, Harris will have surgery to repair the injury this week.

Harris told the Post that the tear was a partial one.

“It’s just structurally where they wouldn’t let me play,” Harris said, according to the Post.

With Harris coming off the knee injury, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie slated to be a free agent and Champ Bailey due a $1 million roster bonus in March and $9 million in salary per Rotoworld data, the Broncos have some decisions to make at cornerback in the offseason.

Richard Sherman: Peyton is the classiest player I’ve ever met By Michael David Smith Pro Football Talk February 3, 2014

As Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman limped around in the bowels of MetLife Stadium after spraining his ankle in Super Bowl XLVIII, he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He turned and saw that it was Peyton Manning, checking to see if he was OK.

Sherman said on Mike and Mike in the Morning that he was moved by the fact that Manning, who had just been dealt a terrible loss, seemed mostly interested in finding out if Sherman had been badly hurt.

“He was really concerned about my well-being,” Sherman said. “After a game like that, a guy who’s still classy enough to say ‘How are you doing?’ To show that kind of concern for an opponent shows a lot of humility and class.”

Sherman said that despite Manning’s bad game, the Seahawks continue to have a great deal of respect for him.

“He’s a Hall of Fame player, he’s a living legend, he’s a record-holding quarterback, he’s a Super Bowl champion, he’s been a Super Bowl MVP,” Sherman said of Manning.

On Twitter, Sherman took some Seahawks fans to task for bad-mouthing Manning.

“Peyton is the Classiest person/player I have ever met! I could learn so much from him! Thank you for being a great Competitor and person,” Sherman wrote. “There is no reason to bash him on here please Seattle let’s just enjoy this one!!!! He is still a Future HOF player.”

Manning remains a great player, and even on a day when he didn’t play great, he was a classy player.