NFL: The Laughingstock of the League

[Jace, Extat]

Denver Broncos.

Lols. I know it's bad, but I was hoping Manning would get hit and wouldn't get back up.

But then agains, I just saw that fuck Favre say he hopes Manning retires before breaking his records. So i'm torn. I want the most overrated QB (favre) to lose his records, but I also want the most useless QB (Manning) to not make me sad any more.

Go Andrew Luck!

[Fragile Bird]

Hey. They've all been downhill since Joe Namath. :

[ebevan91]

No. The Cowboys are still the laughingstock of the NFL.

Or maybe the Jets. One of those two.

[Horus Ex Machina]

Oh, yeah. The one where they had like 2 TDs taken away from them? The SB vs. Pittsburgh?

Ugh, that game ruined football for me for awhile...

[Horus Ex Machina]

No. The Cowboys are still the laughingstock of the NFL.

Or maybe the Jets. One of those two.

Seconded..

[Rockroi]

So, the Seahawks dominated this game from- in many ways - the opening play. I can't find much fault in anything they did (besides the PEDs- ZING!!!!).

And conversely its hard to hammer the Broncos too much because - in many ways - they ran head long into a much much much better team.

All season long all of us- pretty much every week - said the same exact thing: what AFC team is going to make it to New Jersey and get the shit kicked out of them by the Seahawks? The only time that waivered was when the 49'ers made a run, but there was never much doubt that the NFC was just a superior product this season. Yeah, the Broncos did 1 or 2 things wrong but there was little doubt they would represent the AFC in the big game.

So, in many ways the end of this season happened exactly the way we all thought it would- we thought the Seahawks would play the Broncos in the big game and we all thought that Seattle would win.

So... the NFL was ... what we thought it was this season.

As far as Manning - he looked like shit but not many QBs can play well against maybe the best Super bowl defense since the 2000 Ravens... and you could make a good argument that this Seattle team was the best SB defense since the 1985 Bears, Manning never "rose to the occasion" or another equally amorphous cliche. Manning played about the way I expect a 37 year old QB would play against a very good defense. He never grew outside that shell and he never got anyone else to raise their game etc.

Everything unfolded within the parameters of this season though more things broke for Seattle to make the outcome more lopsided (though I don't think much had to break for Seattle to win- they were the better team all game).

And in many ways it was a win-win: the Broncos lost, Dick Sherman won't blab much (though I heard that he's so "wicked smaaaaat" that his injury was planned ahead of time to get the maximum exposure for his future contracts... or some other apologist thing people say about Dick Sherman), and M. Lynch was an utter non-factor. All around I can live with that.

Though....

.... Peyton Manning just can't seem to win without Adam Vinatieri, huh?

[Fez]

Well then. That was a really fucking terrible game. Probably the worst Super Bowl I've ever watched.

I understand now that the Seahawks are a significantly better team than the Broncos, but still, every single possible thing that could wrong for the Broncos did. If they played that game 10 times, yeah the Seahawks would probably win about 8 of them, but I don't think there'd usually be a blowout this bad. Too bad the blowout was the one we got.

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

Yeah, not a good game from a competitive standpoint for sure, but I do enjoy watching a defense dominate in that fashion. Especially impressive given that statistically this Denver offense is the best of all time.

Manning looked horrible from the jump. That first pick was as bad a pass as I've seen all season. He looked thoroughly defeated before halftime hit.

Was glad to see a defensive player get the MVP. Not sure it should've been Smith necessarily, but that win was clearly attributed to the defense.

Hats off to the Seachickens. This Seattle offense is only going to get better next season. Wilson strikes me as a student of the game with a strong work ethic. With a healthy Harvin and up and coming back like Turbin, I wouldn't be surprised if these guys manage to repeat.

Best defensive performance in a Superbowl since the Ravens crushed the Giants back in 2000.

[Kalbear]

Quickly - it went just like the analysis said. It's really lame to blame manning for this - he had a bad game, but the rest of his team was worse. Every facet of the game was dominated by the Seahawks. This was a beat down at every position.

Will be fun later to point out how little seattle loses.

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

Quickly - it went just like the analysis said. It's really lame to blame manning for this - he had a bad game, but the rest of his team was worse. Every facet of the game was dominated by the Seahawks. This was a beat down at every position.

Will be fun later to point out how little seattle loses.

Eh, it seemed to me that both the media and the public in general was on the Broncos bandwagon most of the week. More folks on this board had Denver winning. Or are you referring to postgame analysis?

Yeah, you can't pin it all on Manning. He was pressured and hit all game. His passes were tipped numerous times and his receivers were brutalized all game. I'd tend to give Seattle's defense more credit rather than make a goat of Manning. That being said, he looked bad.

[SkynJay]

Welp.

Nope, sorry, still can't talk about it.

Maybe another day.

[Kalbear]

Eh, it seemed to me that both the media and the public in general was on the Broncos bandwagon most of the week. More folks on this board had Denver winning. Or are you referring to postgame analysis

im talking about advanced stats. Barnwell, advanced nfl stats, simple stats, FO - all had big advantages on Seattle o vs Denver d and huge advantages to special teams.

There was talk about a lot of non measurables but the pragmatic really saw this as seattles to lose.

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

im talking about advanced stats. Barnwell, advanced nfl stats, simple stats, FO - all had big advantages on Seattle o vs Denver d and huge advantages to special teams.

There was talk about a lot of non measurables but the pragmatic really saw this as seattles to lose.

Seems to me that the defense did the lion's share of the damage though. 3 turnovers, a pick six, numerous 3 and outs, and a safety. Seattle's offense could've settled for field goals all game and the game wouldn't have been any closer, really.

[Jace, Extat]

Eh, it seemed to me that both the media and the public in general was on the Broncos bandwagon most of the week. More folks on this board had Denver winning. Or are you referring to postgame analysis?

Yeah, you can't pin it all on Manning. He was pressured and hit all game. His passes were tipped numerous times and his receivers were brutalized all game. I'd tend to give Seattle's defense more credit rather than make a goat of Manning. That being said, he looked bad.

Drunk face might be clouding my judgement, but I lay this at Manning's feet. It was his job to beat the Seattle defense and he didn't do it. It's that simple.

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

Drunk face might be clouding my judgement, but I lay this at Manning's feet. It was his job to beat the Seattle defense and he didn't do it. It's that simple.

He didn't have much of a chance, Queeny. That was as dominant a defensive performance as I've seen in awhile. Even when he was completing passes, his receivers were getting blown up. Seattle was smothering screens and crushing everything over the middle. He didn't do anything to help matters, but you can't lay all of it at his feet.

[Rockroi]

Seems to me that the defense did the lion's share of the damage though. 3 turnovers, a pick six, numerous 3 and outs, and a safety. Seattle's offense could've settled for field goals all game and the game wouldn't have been any closer, really.

The defense played great. But its not like the O was being bailed out.

The Seahawks were 7-12 on 3rd down and many of their failed 3rd downs were deep into the second half when it didn't matter. Seattle did not punt until 3 min left in the 3rd quarter and punted once all game. Wilson's QB rating was 123- that's not "good" that's terrific. The passing game was a dagger- it killed the Broncos exactly the way we knew it would. While the running game was held in check, that was the only thing the Broncos did well all game. THe offense also stuck to its plan, avoided anything stupid, and effortlessly marched the ball down the field.

I know its easy to look at the defense and say "Seattle's D won them the game." And it would be tough to argue.

But the Seattle O did more than just hold up their end. They CRUSHED the Broncos D and exposed them for the frauds they were.

[Jaime L]

Pretty shocked. Feel terrible for Manning and all the people I know who live and die with the Broncos. This was a fucking Elway Superbowl out of the 80's. And like the 80's I think the abiding lesson coming out of this game is how much better the NFC is than the AFC. Or moreover I feel safe in saying the two best teams in football were clearly SF and Seattle and it's not particularly close. What's particularly amazing is Seattle beat Denver by 35 points without needing Russell Wilson to be unstoppable. They were good enough to beat Denver that bad with Wilson being a solid game manager. Heck Seattle's D outscored the highest scoring offense in football history by itself 9-8.

The silver lining that comes out of this game for me is that it shows that the NFL isn't completely video game football yet. A defense can still dominant even the best offense through physical intimidation. I mean they just flat out wrecked all the Broncos crossing routes and screen game that no-one else had come close to stopping all year. Either the most impressive defensive performance I've seen in a Superbowl or tied with what the '07 Giants did to the Patriots that year.

[Jace, Extat]

Denver is going to drag Manning out for another hilarious bout of futility, but there are some easy fixes to the Broncos to give them a more disappointing loss next year:

Dropping Champ Bailey should save in the area of 10 million. They no longer need to pay his corpse to represent the franchise (manning serves that role), and dropping him gives them a shot at a lot of good DB's in free agency next year. If at all possible, they should try to poach Aquib Talib (hoping the Colts get him) by offering him what Bailey would have made. Brent Grimes should also be an option at CB.

Do SOMETHING about the safeties. Jarius Byrd and T.J. Ward headline an awesome group of FA safeties. The Broncos cannot expect the likes of Rahim Moore and Duke Iahaninachonoho to keep opposing offenses in check. The first step to winning the AFC (Patriots- healthy Gronk) is good safety play.

Wes Welker's 6 million isn't worth it. Let him crawl back to the Patriots and see if Julian Edelman will take the cash to replace him.

Let Decker walk, I think Anquan Boldin or Jeremy Maclin would be much superior options at #2 next year. Maclin provides a dynamic edge, while Boldin is a possession monster a la Reggie Wayne (but shorter and meaner). I also wouldn't be surprised to see them take a chance on Kenny Britt if he doesn't draw any interest, high upside and all that.

Fuck that return guy who's name I can't think of. Devin Hester provides a likely cheaper route for less fumbles.

Danny Treveathon and Leslie Woodyard were awesome when they were making plays, but those plays just didn't happen enough (except when dropping the ball on the goal line, DANNY!) Brandon Spikes would be a great steal from NE.

Manny Ramirez is going to be a goat (not a GOAT), but a goat. And Alex Mack is worth whatever he wants, Denver should try to tempt him out of the factory of sadness. Meanwhile, Micheal Blindside might be available for cheap to add some depth behind Franklin and Clady.

Knowshawn Moreno is replaceable. I loved him this year, and wouldn't be sadfaced to see him go to Indy on a cheap deal, but he's not valuable to the Broncos. Maurice Jones-Drew should be cheap for promises of a championship (lies), Brandon Tate is versatile, Donald Brown MIGHT be worth a look if Manning trusts him, and I could maybe see Darren McFadden being a #2 RB behind Montee Ball if he stays healthy and is reasonable in his asking price.

At D-line, Henry Melton and Micheal Bennett might come cheap with great upside, while Jared Allen could be a classic 'play for a ring' (lies) case. Micheal Johnson may also find himself without the monies he's expecting in FA as Greg Hardy takes up all the attention.

Common themes, Patriots castoffs. But you're not trading for them, so the only thing you stand to lose is $$$. Also, old people, but since this team is comically thinking Peyton Manning can take them to the championship, they're already on short-term status.

The Broncos can't afford all of these options, but any of them could 'help' them lose more gracefully next year.

I'm more or less fucked up by the end of this article, yays! I hope I forget about tonight.

[BLU-RAY]

The defense played great. But its not like the O was being bailed out.

The Seahawks were 7-12 on 3rd down and many of their failed 3rd downs were deep into the second half when it didn't matter. Seattle did not punt until 3 min left in the 3rd quarter and punted once all game. Wilson's QB rating was 123- that's not "good" that's terrific. The passing game was a dagger- it killed the Broncos exactly the way we knew it would. While the running game was held in check, that was the only thing the Broncos did well all game. THe offense also stuck to its plan, avoided anything stupid, and effortlessly marched the ball down the field.

I know its easy to look at the defense and say "Seattle's D won them the game." And it would be tough to argue.

But the Seattle O did more than just hold up their end. They CRUSHED the Broncos D and exposed them for the frauds they were.

I would argue that Seattle's special teams advantage was even bigger than their D or their O's disparity. Think about all the Denver returns that stopped short of the 20-yard line; the significant chunks of yardage that the Hawks got on most of their returns; and obviously the backbreaking Harvin TD to start off the second half. Seattle special teams ran shit today.

And yeah, Seattle's offense was good, and their defense was dominant also.

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

The defense played great. But its not like the O was being bailed out.

But the Seattle O did more than just hold up their end. They CRUSHED the Broncos D and exposed them for the frauds they were.

True, true. Seattle's offense piled on, for sure. All I'm saying is that if Advanced Stats and the like all pointed to Seattle's O vs. Denver's Defense as being the deciding factor, I'd say they were wrong. Seattle's defense won that game straight up. All Seattle's offense had to do was not turn the ball over and chew some time off the clock. They did much more than that, granted, but I think you have to give their defense most of the credit.