Three Things to Watch For in Super Bowl XLVIII

Let's be honest: we've been buried in analysis of Super Bowl XLVIII for the past week and a half and at this point the narrative is well established: Peyton Manning and the best offense of all time versus Richard Sherman and the Legion of Boom. Offense versus defense. Rabble, rabble, rabble.

The last thing you need to read is anything ever written by Ayn Rand. The next-to-last thing you need to read is me rewriting what so many (who are infinitely more qualified than I) have already written. Instead, I'd like to go over some of the lesser known match ups that I think will ultimately decide this game. 

(This is when you should go grab a beer/whiskey/assorted beverage of choice. This will be here when you get back, I promise...................See, now you're back AND you have a beer. You're welcome.)

Here's what you should be watching for tomorrow so that you can sound smart in front of a bunch of people who probably don't know a damn thing about football:

Max Unger and the Seattle guards versus Terrance Knighton (AKA Pot Roast--no, I'm serious, that's his nickname, look it up.)
The bread and butter of the Seahawks offense is Marshawn Lynch running up the middle. In case you haven't heard, he's 'bout that action, boss. The Denver defense is decidedly average--they finished 19th in total defense. However, defensive tackle Terrance Knighton (6'4" 350 lbs.) is very good at disrupting the middle of the offensive line. In the GIF below you can watch him single-handedly demolish the Patriots offensive line.

The key problem here is that the Hawks interior offensive line is just not that great. The guards (Carpenter, Sweezy, McQuistan, Bowie) have struggled all year and as good as center Max Unger is, he has struggled mightily with injuries this year and has always been a bit undersized. Terrance Knighton is a lot of things, but undersized is not at all applicable (as you would hopefully expect for someone named "Pot Roast"). If the Hawks hope to run successfully, controlling Knighton will be crucial. If Unger cannot handle him, it's going to be a long day for the offense.

Golden Tate versus Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
What do we know about Golden Tate? For one, he's very friendly and likes to wave at his opponents because they're all best buds and he's cool like that.

The other thing we know is that while he may lack for straight-line speed, he's very physical at the point of attack and he's very difficult to tackle, as shown by his YAC (Yards After Catch) of 8.1. Rodgers-Cromartie, the Denver cornerback, is a good player and at this point, probably the most talented member of the Broncos' secondary. He's tall, fast and experienced. He is not, however, physical with receivers and is not exactly known for his tackling ability. See below when he was with the Eagles (#23):

If Golden Tate (or Percy Harvin, who when healthy is the best YAC receiver in the NFL) can get matched up with Rodgers-Cromartie and win some of his one-on-ones, he could have a big game (sidebar: this is that last time I ever write about Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie because his name is super annoying to type).

Brandon Mebane and Clinton McDonald versus Denver's Interior Offensive Line

Guys, here's some really awesome analysis: Peyton Manning is really good. You're right, I should be more cautious about making such outrageous claims about the man that just won his fifth MVP award. But alas, back to my point--Peyton is great. One reason that he's kind of good at this football thing is that he gets rid of the ball quickly (2.1 seconds on average). No matter how great your edge rushers are--and ours (Bennett, Avril, Clemons) are great--they won't get there in that amount of time. This puts the impetus on Brandon Mebane and Clinton McDonald to get some disruption up the middle of Denver's O-line, which is a bit of a mixed bag. Luis Vasquez, right guard, is a fantastic player and it's not wise to count on beating him consistently. Zane Beatles and Manny Ramirez, the left guard and center, respectively, are beatable. Bill Parcells said earlier this week that this game would likely be decided by the five yards behind the line of scrimmage that Peyton wants to operate in. If the Seahawks can move Manning, they have a great shot of winning.


In Conclusion

You should never, ever conclude your writing with anything resembling "In Conclusion", but what the hell, it's a blog and if you're still reading at this point, you're probably a pretty forgiving reader.

Obviously there are a ton more factors that could decide the outcome of this game: Russell Wilson, Percy Harvin, Wes Welker, the referees (eight years later and we're all still pissed off...if the refs decide this game like they did in Super Bowl XV against the Steelers, Seattle might be burned to the ground by rioting come Monday), etc. Regardless of the outcome, it's been a hell of a ride and we might have a good team on our hands for years to come, which is more than we've been able to say about the Seahawks in a long, long time. Cheers!