Come on, curmudgeons, out of the woodwork. Football lovers and haters, connoisseurs of offense, aficionados of The D, followers of Peyton, devotees of Marshawn, Sudden Fans of Richard S. (and who isn’t?), AFC Lifers, dyed-in-the-wool NFC boosters, those who just love the pizza, wings, chips, and beverages – come one, come all, for the first annual Liberty Unyielding Super Bowl Open Thread!
It’s going to be all about the great collision of the butt-kicking Seahawk defense and Denver’s Patented Peyton Express. Immovable object meets irresistible force. (Well. Swarming, wiggly, shut-up-and-sit-down impenetrable object meets zoomy, pole-vaulting, take-that-and-I’m-gonna-go-accept-my-trophy-now force.) Watching these guys jostle on the corners could form the basis of a drinking game all its own.
But let’s not shortchange the Seattle offense and the Denver defense. They’ll be on the field some of the time too, and we can expect they’ll make for quality viewing. At least. Marshawn and Russell aren’t exactly chopped liver.
Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?
Bonus cultural observation: Pete Carroll spends a lot less time fiddling with his hair on the Seattle sideline than he did when he was coaching at USC. Is that because he’s not in LA anymore?
Game time: 6:30 PM EST on Fox, with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman (confession: my favorite booth team). 45F, breezy, partly cloudy with a slight potential for drizzle at MetLife in East Rutherford. Broncos still giving 2.5 in the line. Lay ‘em if you got ‘em.
In the meantime, talk amongst yourselves. A little trivia to help while away the hours. Answers at the links. No fair peeking.
1. In Seattle’s first playoff game in 1983, which division did they play in and what team was the opponent?
2. What Seattle Hall of Famer played in college for Tulsa?
3. Which team did Seattle beat for their first regular-season win?
4. Who is the Seahawks’ all-time leading rusher?
5. How many division titles have the Seahawks won in their history?
1. Name the Super Bowls John Elway started in. Which other NFL quarterback has started in the same number of Super Bowls?
2. Name the starting linemen of the famed “Orange Crush” 3-4 defense, adopted by Denver in 1976.
3. The franchise played its first season in 1960. In what year did the Broncos have their first winning season?
4. Peyton Manning is the second Broncos QB to have started for two different teams in the Super Bowl. Who was the first?
5. Who is the Broncos’ all-time leading receiver?
1. How many teams have won the Super Bowl under three different head coaches? Name the teams and coaches. Bonus points: name the Super Bowls.
2. When was the last overtime in a Super Bowl?
3. What was the longest run from scrimmage in a Super Bowl?
4. Who is the only Super Bowl MVP to come from the losing team?
5. Name the four teams that have never appeared in a Super Bowl.
