1. Angry Birds
NEW YORK – (February 5, 2014) Afterdroppingthe BOOMon Peyton
Manningand the Broncos’ offense inSuperBowl XLVIII,Seahawks
defensive end Michael Bennettand defensivetackle BrandonMebane
appearon thisweek’scoverof SPORTSILLUSTRATED (2/10/14)—on
newsstandsNOW. Seattle’sDheldDenvertojustone touchdownina43–
8 rompat MetLife Stadium.BroncosquarterbackPeytonManning was
flusteredformostof the firsthalf,throwingtwointerceptions.Linebacker
MalcolmSmith,namedMVPof the game,pickedoff Manninglate inthe
firsthalf and returned the ball 69 yards fora touchdown. The Seahawks,
lead36–0 before the Broncos finallyscoredonthe lastplayof the thirdquarter. Seniorwriter
S.L. Price writes,“Evenifyou didn’tknow that the Seahawks,quietlymiffedbya sudden
national obsessionwithManning’s “Omaha” snap count, barked the buzzword at one another
as a goad, “everyday, about 10 to 12 timesa day,” says receiverPercy Harvin. “Theyshowed
him [Manning},all right, and the result was as brilliantas it was brutal. Bearingall the
arrogance of youth and all the rage of the underrated,on Sunday the NFL’syoungestplayoff
team laid waste to the 37-year-old Manningand hisepic offense.The outcome was hardly a
shock for the 82,529 folksbellowinginthe relative,yes,warmth of MetLife Stadium inEast
Rutherford,N.J., but the margin and manner surelywere.”(Page 26)
The game got off to an oddstart whenHall of Fame quarterbackJoe Namath,resurrectinghis
famousflashydudswithanoversizedfurcoat,botchedthe cointossat the start of the game.
Then,on the firstplayfromscrimmage,BroncoscenterManny Ramirezsnappedthe ball past
Manning,whowas walkinguptothe line anddidn'thave hishandsready.That setthe tone for
the trouncingthe Broncos wouldreceive forthe restof the night.WritesPrice,“Not12 seconds
in, Ramirez,addledby the roaring crowd, lofteda snap over Manning’sright shoulderinto the
endzone for a safety. ‘There’sno explanationfor it,’Ramirez explained.None butflat-out
defeat.No team everscored fasterin a SuperBowl—notevenDevin Hesteron his kick-return
TD to openXLI—and that was only the beginning.PressedbySeattle’srelentlessfrontline,
Manning neverlostthe harried, confusedlookof those first moments; the game once
expectedtobe a career toppersoon became a potential legacymangler.” (Page 26)
The rest of the game neverturnedaround forDenver’stop-rankedoffense,despite a
touchdownandtwo-pointconversionlate inthe third quarter.Seattle’sLegionof Boom
continuedtowreakhavocon Manningwhile alsoshuttingdownrunningbackKnowshon
Morenoand the entire Broncosrushinggame,holdingittojust27 yards for the night.Writes
Price,“This was Seattle’sfirstchampionshipsince they joinedthe league as an expansion
franchise in 1976. Before theirrun to the Super Bowl in 2006 (an XL lossto the Steelers),they
had gone a record 21 yearswithout a playoff win,and until this seasonalways seemeda step
behindtheirrivals in San Francisco. But the unique identitycreated in’10 by owner Paul Allen,

2. GMJohn Schneiderand coach Pete Carroll—brainy,upbeatand tough—provedperfectfor
transforming unheraldedtalentinto a smart and singularlyfierce outfit.” (Page 28)
For a galleryof the bestphotosfromSuperBowl XLVIIIgo to:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nfl/photos/1402/si-best-photos-from-super-bowl-xlviii/
For galleryof the Top 10 Worst SuperBowlsgoto:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nfl/photos/1201/10-worst-super-bowls/
Downloada high res versionof thisweek’scover here .
-SI-
Contact: ScottNovak – (212) 522-2687, Scott_Novak@timeinc.com
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