Omaha!!
Super Bowl XLVII (that's 48) pits the Denver Broncos against the Seattle Seahawks, and there are a lot of big matchups in this game. The NFL's top offense against the NFL's top defense. A Broncos defense that's missing 5 starters against the beastly Marshawn Lynch and the precocious Russell Wilson. Peyton Manning and his host of weapons against cornerback Richard Sherman and a tough pash rush. Former Bruin Rahim Moore against former Bruin Derrick Coleman. Broncos Head Coach John Fox against Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll...
Ahh, stop right there.
Being a Bruin crowd, I expect that last one will win me a bunch of Broncos fans today.
You all knew I'd be the one writing this, right? I've told this before, but I grew up a Broncos fan. My grandparents moved to Colorado in the late 60's and plied me with Denver Broncos gear from a young age, ensuring my blank slate would always be colored orange. It worked well when Georgia took the LA Rams (and her husband?) out of California and I still had a team to root for. I worked out well for wooing my future wife who was a Coloradoan and life long Broncos fan. It worked out well when I was exiled to Denver in 1996 where my team was already the home team. It worked out well when we got season tickets in the legendary South Stands the following year and then promptly won the next two Super Bowls.
I hope it works out well for my kids today.
I could go on and on about the matchups and stats and breakdowns, but it's all been overdone over the last 2 weeks. If you want to read more about the game, check out the excellent SB Nation sites Mile High Report and Field Gulls. But for completeness' sake, I'll just add my quick totally unbiased and focused preview of Super Bowl 48: Peyton truly is amazing, Sherman is no thug but he is all about pub, I don't think Seattle can stop Demaryius Thomas/Wes Welker/Eric Decker/Julius Thomas/Knowshon Moreno enough to keep up, Mychal Kendricks is ok but his little brother Eric is way better, the weather in NY/NJ is going to be fine for Denver, keep an eye on Broncos replacement LT Chris Clark, 2 of my regular Bronco tailgaiting crew are at the game, and I will always hate Cheatey Petey.
It's time to put the talk behind and play some football. Tell us your thoughts, make your predictions, and share your observations in the thread. Have at it!
GO BRONCOS! (& DC)