The Highlight Reel
The Super Bowl XLVIII roman numerals in Hoboken, N.J., overlook the Manhattan skyline. (Elsa/Getty Images)
From a first-person account of what a player goes through during Super Bowl week to Peter King's ultimate prediction for Super Bowl XLVIII, this week had it all. Catch up on all The MMQB's stories ahead of the big game:
LET'S HEAR THEM TELL IT
Answer My Question, Commish! (By Vernon Davis)
The marijuana crisis, future cold-weather Super Bowls and a question about health care for life sadly dodged: Here are 10 things 49ers tight end Vernon Davis thinks in response to Roger Goodell's State of the NFL address
A Love Letter to Coach Carroll (By Richard Sherman)
He saw it in me before anyone else—the ability to be a shutdown corner—when I was still in high school. But even though I didn't wind up playing for Pete Carroll at USC, I'm sure glad I am now. If you're looking for reasons the Seahawks are in the Super Bowl, start with him. And it's not just his game plans, either
A Wife’s Nightmare: ‘We Think It’s John’s Heart’ (By Robin Fox)
Those were the words Robin Fox heard over the phone, as the Denver coach was falling victim to a condition that would require invasive surgery and four weeks away from the Broncos sideline. Here, she reflects on the path her family traveled from that terrifying call to football's biggest stage
My Super Bowl Coaching Advice: ‘Don’t Let the Moment Slip Away’ (By Mike McCarthy)
Listen up, Pete Carroll and John Fox. Mike McCarthy has been there, and he's got a few tidbits to share on how to approach the final 48 hours before kickoff, the game itself and, most importantly, the one thing to keep in mind amidst the madness if it's your team hoisting the Lombardi
A Day in the Life of a Super Bowl Player (By Zane Beadles)
Broncos lineman Zane Beadles gives the tick-tock of his Super Bowl Wednesday: media, meetings, an all-out practice and, oh yeah—finding his sea legs
The Art of Saying Nothing (By Coby Fleener)
There’s a reason it’s impossible to find nuggets of actual information in a Super Bowl press conference. If athletes are experts at the bland, clichéd response, it’s because our jobs depend on it
10 Things I Learned After America Learned About Me (By Richard Sherman)
This stage is bigger than I thought it was. How much does America love football? My one little rant made it onto CNBC and CNN. I heard my name on The View. I got tweets in English, Spanish, French, Italian, Czech and Arabic. People identify with the struggle and the battle of a football game.
FROM THE CHIEF
‘A Unique Day And Night’ (By Peter King)
Peyton Manning knows what's on the line. So does Seattle's defense. Something's gotta give in Super Bowl XLVIII. Peter King makes his pick
An Intimate Gathering of Seemingly Everyone on Earth (By Peter King)
When Randy Moss, Slovenian television and the Middlebury College magazine are covering the same event, you just have to wonder if things have gone too far
Now It Gets Real (By Peter King)
It was Touch-Down—not Touchdown—Sunday, as the Seahawks and Broncos arrived in New Jersey to launch Super Bowl week. But if you thought Richard Sherman was going to step off the plane making headlines, think again. Lots about the next seven days will be crazy, but it's safe to say he won't be
THE X's AND O's Of XLVIII
The Hidden Matchup (By Greg A. Bedard)
There’s more to XLVIII than the league’s top offense going up against the league’s top D. The respective coordinators, Denver’s Adam Gase and Seattle’s Dan Quinn, are rising stars who are destined to become head coaches. Think of this Super Bowl as the prequel to something even bigger between the two
Pressure Packages? Lockdown Corners? Here’s How to Beat ’em (By Jenny Vrentas)
Former Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, who game-planned against both Super Bowl teams, breaks down the best ways to attack the Seahawks’ and Broncos’ defenses
When the Talent Levels Are So Close, You Have to Spread the Field (By Andy Benoit)
Recent history says that if any style of offense is equipped to overcome Seattle’s defense, it would be Denver’s. And if any style of defense is equipped to stymie Denver’s offense, it would be Seattle’s. There is deeper meaning here than simply stating the obvious
The Battle for Third Down (By Andy Benoit)
Russell Wilson hasn’t been at his best, even while leading Seattle to the Super Bowl. But at some point he's going to have to make a big play on third down against the Broncos. This is how the Seahawks can set him up to succeed
The Evolution of the L.O.B. (By Doug Farrar)
What will Peyton Manning see when he looks at the Seahawks’ secondary on Sunday? A group working hard to disguise their looks and trying to befuddle the Broncos’ quarterback. Anything less than that, and Seattle will come up short of hoisting the Lombardi
How Manning Can Get the Seahawks Right Where He Wants Them (By Andy Benoit)
Seattle’s secondary might seem like an impossible matchup, but Peyton Manning is a master manipulator. And there's one formation, in particular, he can utilize to put Richard Sherman & Co. in an unenviable position
THE BEST OF THE REST
Is the Hall of Fame Process Broken? (By Robert Klemko)
A group of writers assemble on the Saturday before the Super Bowl to decide who’s in and who’s not. But fans, candidates and even some of the voters wonder whether there’s a better way to bestow pro football’s highest honor
Wishing for a White Super Bowl (By Richard Deitsch)
It's been a point of debate since New Jersey was awarded the Super Bowl, but there's no question what the producer and director of FOX's broadcast would prefer—let it snow. The weather, of course, is just one of many considerations for the men bringing the big game to your TV
Lose the Legacy Talk (By Don Banks)
Legacy. It's all anyone seems to want to talk about regarding Peyton Manning, and whether his place in history will be diminished if he loses to the Seahawks this weekend. Just stop. In victory or defeat, it's Manning's comeback just to get to this point, and his remarkable body of work, that will seal his place in history
Seattle’s Not Going Away (By Andrew Brandt)
The Seahawks have been scary good all season long, but here's the scariest part for the rest of the NFL—it's going to be like this for quite a while. They’ve figured out the formula for sustained success
The Tricks of Kicking at MetLife, from the Men Who Know (By Jenny Vrentas)
Giants punter Steve Weatherford and Jets kicker Nick Folk have some words of advice for their Seattle and Denver counterparts on how to handle MetLife conditions
Last X-Man Standing (By Robert Klemko)
Broncos linebacker Paris Lenon, the last active NFL player from the XFL (!), has followed a tortuous route from nowhere to the middle of it all
What You Don’t Know About the Men Playing in Super Bowl XLVIII (By Emily Kaplan)
The MMQB called high school and college coaches to pull back the curtain on 14 players—Broncos and Seahawks—as they step into football’s brightest spotlight
VIDEO
‘I Have Yet to Talk to Him … He’s the Enemy’
Broncos rookie running back Montee Ball on ignoring his old Wisconsin teammate, Russell Wilson, and the education he’s received from Peyton Manning
‘Where Self-Respect Goes to Die’
The MMQB Super Bowl correspondent Coby Fleener (yes, the Colts tight end) took a journey through the heart of Media Day—the cliches, the masses, and the absurdity of it all
Peter King, Greg A. Bedard, Jenny Vrentas and Robert Klemko look back at the 2013 season and ahead to Super Bowl 48
Peyton Manning Always Finds the Open Receiver
It’ll be the difference that puts the Broncos on top in Super Bowl XLVIII
Photo Reflections with ... Andre Reed | Chad Johnson | Derrick Brooks
