And that’s also directly related to the comments that Cam Newton made to the reporters. Because there are two weeks in the lead-up to the game, and every fucking sponsor and media outlet and reporter and blogger and talkback show wants to milk that time for all it’s worth, they spend hours and days bloviating about bullshit, and they spend as much time as possible trying to get the players to answer pointless questions.
They should have one week. Players fly into town on the Monday, have a media day on the Tuesday, and then settle in and practice in preparation for the game. Maybe another press conference on Friday or something. Player input isn’t required for most of the stuff on TV; the talking heads are perfectly capable of spending hours stating the obvious all by themselves.
I don’t mind the 2 week gap. It allows more time for coaches to gameplan, it is appropriate for this nation’s biggest single day sporting event, and it allows for the less mature players to be taken out of their game mentally, or composure-wise, or if they party too hardy. This is a HUGE game, so much focus on it. It’s not just any other game.
Prediction time. I have listened to a lot of local and national sports radio the last two weeks and have heard some ridiculous “reasons” why one of these teams is going to win. (I don’t understand why some people take the time to call these shows and then get on the air and say such stupid shit like “the Broncos are going to win because Peyton wants as many rings as Eli.”) That being said, there have been some salient points brought up, and I certainly have no claim to expertise, so my opinion isn’t worth any more than anyone.
I think the Panthers are going to win. I think the score will be something in the area of 27 – 17. Here’s my reasoning:
• A lot has been made of the Broncos defense against the Panthers offense. The truth is, the Panthers defense is not much of a drop off from the Broncos. The Panthers led the league in forcing turnovers. As great as Von Miller is, the Panthers will have the best defensive player on the field in Luke Kuechly. He is joined by 3 other Pro Bowlers in Thomas Davis, Kawann Short and Josh Norman. Note that that group includes the line, the linebackers and the secondary. They are solid all around, and often spectacular.
• I have a ton of respect for Peyton Manning, but the Panthers have been able to pressure less mobile quarterbacks all year long. I don’t see the Broncos O-line keeping them off him all game.
• The Panthers have a very diverse offense that is difficult for any team to defend. They run the ball better than anyone in the league and have two major weapons in Cam and Jonathan Stewart. Add in the bruising Mike Tolbert and some receiver reverses and they can really come at you in many ways. Of course, Greg Olsen is a huge weapon at TE and even though the receivers are not household names, they can stretch the field with speed and Newton has utilized 4 or 5 WR all year. That is just tough to deal with.
• Cam Newton. The guy has stepped up his game this season to the point where Panther fans just expect him to make a big play when needed. He has cut down his mistakes considerably and has become a much more dangerous pocket passer, but always with the threat to run.
It seems to me that Vegas royally screwed up the opening line and, as a result, bookmakers worldwide are very exposed to losing big. It started at Carolina -3.5. This was obviously way too low so most of the early money went to Carolina. I read that 85% of the betting money was on Carolina. In order to get money on Denver, they were forced to keep moving the line higher and higher to Carolina -6. Now that it has fallen to -5, I assume that lots of the newer money has been on Denver. This leaves a very wide corridor for a huge “black Sunday” type loss. If Carolina wins by 4, 5, or even 6, I see huge losses for Vegas, and many underground bookies closing up shop and leaving town in the midst of the night (without paying out their winners).
5 hours until kick off! The ribs have been on the smoker since 11. I’m also smoking some jalapeno peppers, to be turned into hot sausage/cheddar poppers. Fresh made guacamole and a whole mess of chips. I’ve got my kids and few friends coming over. Tons of parties around but I want to be able to listen to the game this year.
I have a very strong feeling that Carolina will crush Denver.
I must be getting too old to bet on football because yesterday I had a great argument in mind that explained exactly why Carolina will crush Denver. But for some embarrassing reason, I can’t remember what that was today.
I hope I will remember before kickoff.
Hmmm … looks like I have 4 minutes before kickoff.
That’s how it’s done in the CFL: semi-finals; one week later conference finals; one week later, Grey Cup.
Of course, we’re always fighting against the Canadian weather in late November so there’s a strong incentive to get the Grey Cup game going as quickly as possible…