NFL: Russell Wilson booed and loses on Seahawks return

LOS ANGELES -- Denver quarterback Russell Wilson's return to Seattle started with hearty boos and finished with a 17-16 loss to Geno Smith and the Seahawks on Monday.

Wilson piloted the Seahawks to nine winning seasons, eight playoff appearances, two NFC championships and a Super Bowl title in his 10-year tenure in Seattle.

But his relationship with the team soured and he departed in March for the Broncos -- the team he and the Seahawks beat 43-8 in the 2014 Super Bowl.

Earlier this month he signed a five-year deal worth a reported $245 million with Denver and none of his prior achievements in Seattle mattered to Seahawks fans who jeered him all night, while joyously cheering his former backup Smith.

While the focus was on Wilson and his return to Seattle, it was also a huge moment for Smith, who beat out Drew Lock for the starting job -- the first time he starts a season as a team's top quarterback since he played for the New York Jets back in 2014.

Smith rose to the occasion by completing 23 of 28 passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns.

Both touchdowns came in the first half, when Smith was ruthlessly efficient in completing 17 of 18 passes for 164 yards.

"They wrote me off," Smith said of his critics in a post-game television interview.

Seattle didn't score in the second half, but they held on with the help of a solid defensive effort and the Broncos' inability to take advantage of their opportunities.

Wilson completed 29 of 42 passes for 340 yards, hitting Jerry Jeudy with a 67-yard touchdown pass.

But Denver committed 12 penalties and gave up two second-half fumbles on the goal line.

After those disappointments, Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett opted against going for it on fourth down with just five yards needed to extend Denver's final drive.

Instead he brought in kicker Brandon McManus, who missed a 64-yard field goal attempt.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said he was "surprised" the Broncos didn't let Wilson -- renowned for his fourth-quarter and overtime comebacks -- try to extend the drive.

But Wilson had no problem with the decision.

"I believe in coach Hackett," he said. "I believe in what we're doing here."

While it was the first time Wilson found himself on the wrong side of the notoriously noisy Seahawks crowd, he said the atmosphere didn't affect him.

"I couldn't have been more locked in," he said. "It just didn't go our way. But guess what? There's 16 more games to go."

Agence France-Presse

Peyton Manning, Broncos triumph in Super Bowl 50 with win over Panthers

Peyton Manning clinched a fairytale second Super Bowl victory as the Denver Broncos produced an astonishing defensive display to defeat the Carolina Panthers 24-10 on Sunday.

Denver running back C.J Anderson crashed over for the decisive touchdown late in the fourth quarter as the Broncos defense harried Panthers quarterback Cam Newton into a string of mistakes at the Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

The much anticipated duel between Manning — the oldest starting quarterback in Super Bowl history — and NFL Most Valuable Player Newton never materialised.

Instead it was left to Denver’s suffocating defense to decide the contest, with Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware smothering the Panthers at every opportunity as the Broncos racked up a record-equalling seven sacks.

Miller ultimately set up the crucial Denver score, forcing Newton into a fumble which the Broncos recovered close to the Carolina goal line, handing Anderson the chance to barge over.

Manning, 39, was largely a peripheral figure throughout, struggling to make any impression with his passing game as defenses dominated.

The veteran quarterback is widely expected to call time on his career at the end of the season, and can now do so with a second Super Bowl ring to set alongside the one he earned with the Indianapolis Colts in 2007.

- Carolina rattled -

An absorbing first half saw defenses on top, with Denver’s vaunted unit rattling the free-scoring Carolina offense.

Denver drew first blood, Manning quickly into his rhythm to march the Broncos upfield in a 10-play 64-yard drive that culminated with Brandon McManus drilling over a 34-yard field goal.

After punting on their first possession the Panthers looked nervy on their second possession, unable to find any room for maneuver in the face of Denver defenders playing like men possessed.

Disaster struck on a long third down on the Carolina 15-yard line, when Miller swarmed through to smother Newton, stripping the ball loose and allowing Malik Jackson to recover for a dramatic touchdown for 10-0.

As the first quarter drew to a close there were signs that Newton was finally kicking into top gear.

A trademark 11-yard run and another 12-yard gallop upfield stretched Denver’s defense and helped propel Carolina deep into the red zone from where Jonathan Stewart barreled over from one yard for the touchdown.

Graham Gano duly added the extra point and suddenly the Panthers were on the front foot, forcing Denver to kick away three consecutive possessions.

- Chance spurned -

Denver went 13-7 up with another McManus field goal before Carolina spurned the chance to draw closer when Gano missed a 44-yard effort.

It was left for Denver to get the first points on the board in the second half, with Manning twice connecting with Emmanuel Sanders in a 54-yard drive to Carolina’s 12-yard line.

Once again though, the Broncos were unable to make a red zone visit pay with a touchdown, with McManus adding his third field goal to give Denver a nine-point lead.

Carolina looked to be building ominous momentum on the next drive, when Newton launched a long pass to find Corey Brown for a 42-yard gain.

But the drive ended when Newton’s long pass to Ginn was intercepted by Broncos safety T.J. Ward who fumbled only to see his team-mates recover.

Denver were unable to make any impression on the Carolina defense and seemed to be content to punt again knowing that the Panthers were getting little joy from the Broncos defense.

The tactic proved vindicated on the next Carolina drive, which stalled when Miller sacked Newton for the second time in the match forcing a punt.

But Denver’s own offense was always struggling to capitalize on their opponent’s problems, and they squandered a 1st and 10 situation on Carolina’s 37-yard line when Manning twice fumbled on successive plays to hand the ball back to the Panthers who reduced the deficit to 16-10 with a Gano field goal.

Yet once again Denver’s defense came through when it mattered, and when Miller forced Newton into his late fumble, Denver were home.

source: interaksyon.com

Super Bowl halftime show a big stage, even for music’s biggest stars

LOS ANGELES | As Coldplay gears up to take the Super Bowl halftime stage on Sunday, there’s a lot at stake — even for a band Rolling Stone deemed “one of the most commercially successful acts of the new millennium.”

Upwards of 100 million U.S. viewers are expected to tune in for the intensely choreographed live 15-minute set, more than 50 times the audience of the band’s last major tour in 2012, according to figures from concert tracker Pollstar.

“In an incredibly divided and fragmented media environment, the Super Bowl halftime show is absolutely one of the biggest, if not the single biggest way to expose music to an enormous audience,” said Brian Hiatt, senior writer at Rolling Stone.

With a third of the U.S. population expected to watch the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos battle for the National Football League championship, the Super Bowl offers a rare and coveted opportunity for advertisers and performers alike.

Coldplay, better known for brooding hits such as “Yellow” and “Fix You,” takes the halftime stage on the heels of high-octane crowd pleasers Katy Perry, Beyonce and Bruno Mars.

“It’s all about the artist and their brand,” Keith Caulfield, co-director of Billboard charts, told Reuters.

Coldplay last week announced a U.S. tour and released a new music video featuring Beyonce, who is reportedly joining the halftime show this year after headlining in 2013. Rihanna, who just released a new album, is also reported to be a potential performer.

While there is no definitive way to quantify it, spikes in sales and on social media suggest a significant Super Bowl effect.

Last year, 118 million U.S. viewers tuned in to Perry’s pyrotechnics-laden extravaganza featuring a 1,600-pound robotic lion and dancing sharks.

Despite no new album or U.S. tour last year, sales of Perry’s existing work surged 92 percent in the week after her performance. YouTube videos of Perry’s halftime show racked up views in the millions.

Mars, best known for R&B and funk-infused radio hits such as “Uptown Funk!” was one of the lesser-known headliners in 2014.

Mars saw an 82 percent bump in album sales post-performance according to Billboard, and grossed $84 million in concert ticket sales, according to Pollstar.

“There are sports fans who aren’t watching the Grammys or American Music Awards and are not familiar with artists as a live spectacle, and maybe they would be interested in seeing them after the Super Bowl,” Caulfield said.

source: interaksyon.com

Tebow traded to New York Jets

Quarterback Tim Tebow has been traded by the Denver Broncos to the New York Jets, the National Football League website NFL.com reported on Wednesday.

Tebow, a Heisman Trophy winner with the University of Florida, helped lead the Broncos to the playoffs last season but was traded one day after Denver signed free agent Peyton Manning.

The Jets acquired the unorthodox quarterback, who became the talking point of the NFL in helping the Broncos mount a six-game winning streak to get into the playoff picture, by sending a fourth-round draft pick and a sixth-round selection to Denver, who sent a seventh-round pick back the Jets along with Tebow.

The move by New York came after the AFC East team had signed young starting quarterback Mark Sanchez to a contract extention.

The Jets finished out of the playoffs last season with an 8-8 record, the same mark posted by Denver, but lost their last three games to fall out of contention.

Denver was looking to trade Tebow after they signed 11-time Pro Bowl quarterback Manning to a five-year $96 million deal. — Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com