The difference was the Denver Broncos' top-ranked defense, which was as advertised. Defensive end Derek Wolfe, lineman DeMarcus Ware, defensive back Chris Harris, Jr., and linebacker Von Miller weren't on the field two years ago when Seattle's Russell Wilson shredded Denver's defense in a 48-7 rout. Ware was in Dallas, and signed with Denver as a free agent that summer. Wolfe was ill, and Harris & Miller were injured. Add to that the return to Denver of defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, who'd worked with Ware in Dallas for a time, and those pieces made all the difference in the world for Denver in a 24-10 verdict over Carolina. Cam Newton didn't run as free as he'd have liked, but the Broncos' defense turned the Panthers into a 1-dimensional team in much the same way that they'd done to their hated rivals, the New England Patriots in the AFC title game two weeks prior.
Miller was named MVP, and rightfully so, leading the charge that led to 7 sacks, one of which set up the game's 1st touchdown, as Malik Jackson recovered a Newton fumble in the end zone to give Denver a 10-0 lead in the first quarter.
Coincidentally, during the parade of past MVP's, which delayed the start of the game by about 10 minutes because CBS didn't have the sense to put in a request to have the ceremony before the scheduled 6:30 (ET) kickoff, Patriots QB Tom Brady was roundly booed, just because. And here I thought it might've been because he thought he was too cool to step onto the yellow dot meant for photo ops. Not to worry, Baltimore QB Joe Flacco did the same thing and avoided the yellow dot like the plague, but he didn't get booed.
Now, the question remains. Is this in fact the last rodeo for QB/pizza & insurance salesman Peyton Manning? He probably knows, but right now, he's not sharing.
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New York Knicks/Rangers owner James Dolan inherited the late George Steinbrenner's penchant for quick trigger personnel moves. While Steinbrenner's sons, Hank & Hal, have chosen patience rather than impulse to guide their business decisions in operating the Yankees, Dolan proved once again that he cannot trust a true basketball man, such as Phil Jackson, to make the necessary moves to improve the Knicks' fortunes. With the All-Star game a week away, 2nd year coach Derek Fisher was given the heave-ho today after the Knicks lost to Denver yesterday on what amounted to the undercard to the Super Bowl in the Mile High City, though this game was played at Madison Square Garden. Former Lakers player and coach Kurt Rambis takes over on an interim basis, but don't expect that to last too long past the season. Just sayin'.
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In a couple of hours, former WWE champion Daniel Bryan (Bryan Danielson) will appear on Monday Night Raw to elaborate on his announcement on Twitter earlier today that he, because of a series of injuries that have limited his appearances the last couple of years, was retiring at 34. The WWE won't activate Bryan from the injured list, out of fear that one more major injury would end his career anyway.
Edit, 9/22/21: The video has been deleted.
Since that spot was done, Danielson has cut his hair and beard to a more socially acceptable appearance. Yes, there are those on social media who feel WWE didn't do enough for him, and there are those that feel a compromise was never reached that could've saved his career because Danielson didn't want to compromise what had brought him to the dance in the first place. Something tells me there'll be a spot on the announce team for him sooner rather than later.
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