Scott Norwood

Scott Norwood
Wide Right started it all.

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Super Bowl ATS Recap: Up In Smoke

It wasn't supposed to be like this. The capper to the best season ever by a quarterback wasn't destined to end with the silent thud of a botched snap bouncing into the endzone, or the lazily floating trajectory of yet another swatted pass into a waiting defenders arms. The pass happy NFL wasn't primed for a swarming defense to swallow up the best offense in football. Yet on a fairly mild February night in Joisey, that was precisely what millions got to watch. The Seahawks dismantled the Bronco offense with the skill of a surgeon wielding the power of a sledgehammer. After a dizzying first quarter which saw the Broncos held to 11 yards of offense, even the 8-0 Seattle lead felt insurmountable. As the game wore on, the only drama left was whether or not Denver would even SCORE. And, of course, since Dre took the Broncos to win fairly easily, it was glorious to watch.

Seahawks (+2) 43, Broncos 8

The score wasn't even that close. Here are some key points:
  • My MVP - Percy Harvin, Seattle - No, it's just not because I had him as my X-factor either (but I'll take another huge X-factor call thank you), it was the fact that Harvin was the most explosive playmaker on the field for either team. Harvin didn't touch the ball often, but every time he did, he looked faster and more talented than everyone else. The second half kickoff return TD was the backbreaker and sealed the Bronocs fate. It was nice to see Malcolm Smith rewarded, as you almost felt someone from the Seattle defense should be MVP, but if there was ever a time for a group to share those honors, it was this defensive unit. Cliff Avril would have been my defensive MVP (or a better choice than Smith), it was Avril that swatted Peyton Mannings arm on both interceptions. The way Seattle attacked Manning left me wondering if affecting his throws and getting after his point of release was the gameplan more than outright putting him on the turf?
  • My Goat - John Fox, Denver Head Coach - I'm no Peyton Manning apologist, but no quarterback was going to beat Seattle this day. Not as ill prepared as the Broncos entire team looked. They looked slow and had zero energy after the first play safety after an errant snap sailed by Mannings head. Also, not attempting a field goal at the end of the first half and failing on a 4th down conversion gave a Seattle team already teeming with confidence even MORE heading into the locker room. Sure 22-3 sucks almost as bad as 22-0, but at least it's SOMETHING!
  • Pinball Wizard - If the Harvin kickoff return was the backbreaker, then the Jermaine Kearse TD late in the third quarter was the Soul Crusher. In the box score it simply plays out as a 23 yard TD pass from Russell Wilson to Kearse, but the Denver defense allowed it by going full-on Benny Hill and allowing Kearse to bounce off of 3 defenders, missing a total of 5 tackles. The rout was on at 36-0.
  • Stats Are For Losers - Demayrius Thomas broke a Super Bowl record with 13 receptions. Hey, good for him.
  • Hey, I Remember Him - Even Tarvaris Jackson got to play. Isn't that nice. He now has a Super Bowl ring, too. Just like Peyton Manning.
  • L.O.B. as in Lower the Boom - Kam Chancellor set the tone on the Broncos second offensive drive, laying out Demayrius Thomas over the middle on a play that was clean as they come and left me totally shocked that it wasn't flagged for just how violent it was.
  • Atonement - The refs let these guys play and called a fairly clean game. One clear PI should have gone Denvers way, but that wasn't a 35 point penalty, so I'll let it slide this time.
  • The Legacy - I really have a hard time holding this one against Peyton Manning. The Denver offense was simply outclassed in every aspect from the line to the receivers getting open to the 27 yards rushing amassed by the running backs. Manning was never given the chance to shine or fold, he was simply a non-factor.
  • The "Talent" - The Bruno Mars halftime was better than most of the football game, to the point that it was nice to see a non-geriatric, non-titty-showing Super Bowl halftime show. Until the Red Hot Chili Peppers showed up and sang song that was cool when I was in high school, or thereabouts. Stand on the merit of the band you wanted to bring in the first place, NFL. Bruno and his gang did just fine.
See you next season, folks. The SB recap show is tonight on the podcast at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/inmuchlessdetail

The show will go in to offseason mode now, but there will still be a shows after a brief hiatus for Dre and I to get this season out of our systems. Updates to the show schedules will follow.

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Super Duper Bowl XLVIII

It's come to the final game of the season, but I still can't catch Jason for the picks championship.  So we're left to take sides in the Super Bowl however we want with no regard for our opponent's pick.  We'll be head-to-head for the last matchup.


Fav Spread Dog Final Dre Jay
Den (15-3) 2    Sea (15-3) Den Sea


All of our thoughts and observations are available on the podcast.  Subscribe to In Much Less Detail:  The Podcast via iTunes, or listen to any of our shows in the archive on our show page at www.blogtalkradio.com/inmuchlessdetail