Another Super Bowl, another superstar quarterback under investigation
The Peyton Manning PED story isn’t going away. In fact, it’s going to get even louder during the run-up to the Super Bowl with the NFL launching an independent investigation.
NFL TO INVESTIGATE MANNING: Just when you thought this story was starting to die down, the NFL launched an independent investigation into allegations that Peyton Manning used human growth hormone. The investigation stems from an Al Jazeera report that linked multiple NFL and MLB athletes to the use of performance-enhancing drugs. Major League Baseball and the United States Anti-Doping Agency are collaborating on an investigation of their own, and despite reports that the NFL is going at it alone, the league claims it’s working with MLB and USADA.
With Manning in the Super Bowl and the two-week lull starting to set in, expect this story (and Media Day) to become an even bigger circus than it already is.
This is going to be worse than deer antler spray, isn’t it?
LOOK, NEW SHINY DRAFT PROSPECTS! Senior Bowl week is officially underway, and our draft expert Dan Kadar has all the details. Check out his detailed preview for the upcoming game. And here’s a recap of the first day, which was dominated by Ohio State players.
BROWNS TRADE RUMORS: Could the Browns trade up from the second pick to the first? The team described that scenario as “shocking,” so don’t bet on it.
WHICH SUPER BOWL QB PLAYS THE GAME THE RIGHT WAY?: The answer may surprise you, but it shouldn’t if you’ve been paying attention. (Please note: This article is satire and should not be taken seriously, but it kinda should.)
LAST RODEO FOR PEYTON? Most people expect the Super Bowl to be Peyton Manning’s final game, and he hinted as much during his postgame talk with Bill Belichick.
THE ONLY SUPER BOWL PREVIEW YOU NEED: Check out our detailed hub for the upcoming game, complete with matchup previews, predictions and just the right flavor of takes.
JERRY RICHARDSON MIGHT BE A COOL GUY AFTER ALL: The Panthers owner, who has become famous for his curmudgeonly facial expressions, is flying out every single Panthers employee to the Super Bowl, right down to the interns. And his heart grew three sizes that day.
SUPER BOWL TEAMS CHOOSE THEIR COLORS: The Panthers are going with black shirts and silver pants, while the Broncos have opted to go with all white. Probably a good choice for Denver, which is 0-4 in Super Bowls when wearing orange. Meanwhile, Carolina is 0-2 in the playoffs when wearing black. COULD THIS MEAN SOMETHING -- actually it won’t, but you might see more than one column about it over the next two weeks.
NO SUPER BOWL ROMAN NUMERALS THIS YEAR: The Super Bowl has become famous for using Roman numerals as part of its names, which is probably the only reason why people in America know how to count in Roman numerals. This year, they’re going with regular numbers, mostly because “Super Bowl 50” sounds more impressive than “Super Bowl L.” If you’re worried about this tradition going away, rest easy -- next year will be business as usual with Super Bowl LI.
BEAST INTERCEPTION: The Panthers crowd got so loud during Luke Kuechly’s pick-six on Sunday that the stadium actually started shaking. No word on whether they registered on the Richter scale like the Seahawks crowd did for Marshawn Lynch’s Beast Quake run in 2011.
NO TRASH TALK FROM THE BRONCOS: So far, it’s been mostly respectful admiration from both sides, with Aqib Talib saying that Cam Newton is “probably the most dangerous player in the NFL.” We’ll see if things stay cordial as the big game draws closer.
THAT BRONCOS PASS RUSH, MAN: The Broncos defense put on a clinic against the Patriots, hitting Tom Brady 23 times, the most he’s been hit in his career. It was such a beatdown that someone had to take a fall, so the Patriots parted ways with offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo.
C.J. ANDERSON INSPIRED BY BRADY: After the game, Broncos running back C.J. Anderson had nothing but nice words for Brady, sending out a heartfelt Instagram post about how much Brady -- a sixth-round pick -- inspired him to work hard and make it in the NFL. Anderson was an undrafted free agent who emerged as a breakout player at the end of the 2014 season. Brady has been around long enough that a new generation of players is starting to come up that were kids when he first broke into the league, so stories like Anderson’s could be only the beginning.
TYLER SASH REPORTEDLY HAD CTE: Former New York Giants player Tyler Sash died of a drug overdose at the age of 27 last year. The New York Times reported Tuesday that he suffered from CTE. Sash had five diagnosed concussions dating back to his high school playing days.
NINERS FIND THEIR DC: The San Francisco 49ers have hired Jim O’Neil as their defensive coordinator, filling out Chip Kelly’s staff some more. O’Neil previously worked as the Cleveland Browns’ defensive coordinator.
CHARGERS KEEP TAKING “SAN DIEGO” OFF THEIR STUFF: This is just a silly Snapchat thing, but did the Chargers really have to go back and remove the “San Diego” part? Does this process have to be somehow even more cruel and drawn out?
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